Memories of a Dream
by RainynDawn
Summary: 2nd part of Kismet Trilogysequel to Changing Yesterday. At the age of 11, Hermione Granger discovers that she is a witch and heads off to Hogwarts to start an adventure with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. But will she find more than she bargained for?
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, I have no claim on the Harry Potter world as it belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Maybe one day she'll feel sorry for me and give me Sirius for my own... sigh...**

**Alrighty folks, listen up. I decided that since acts up 98 percent of the time to start a list of people to email when I update. If you want to be added to the list to get an email from myself, email me DIRECTLY at meiashae (at) yahoo (dot) com and state that you want to be added to the list or I will simply think you are a crazy person that is emailing me for no reason. I will try to provide a link in the email but that all depends on how busy I am at the time I update. As you know, this has been made into a trilogy which I have named "The Kismet Trilogy" For those of you who don't know and don't wish to scurry over to find a dictionary, kismet means "chance".**

**Story title: Memories of a Dream**

**Beta: MoonyNZ**

**Prologue**

At the tender age of eleven, Hermione Jane Granger was already at the top of her class in every subject at Mortant's School for Young Ladies. She was a favourite among the teachers and the daughter of two very well known and beloved dentists.

Yes, Hermione Granger charmed the hearts of those in charge, bushy hair and all. Though she had very few friends (if you could even call them that), Hermione was happy with her studious life and often found solace in the multitude of books that she read. Hermione found that it was usually easier to stay away from others because, even at a young age, Hermione knew that she was different.

You see, from the time that Hermione was born during that frightful night on September nineteenth, her parents- Mike and Ann- realized that Hermione was special. As you already gathered, Hermione wasn't special in the way that she was disabled or anything, but in the way that there was always something about her that made her unique.

Ann had always told her daughter that, upon her birth, on the night she was born, something extraordinary had happened. Ann Granger was hardly one to admit to the existence of miracles or miracle workers, but she remained adamant that on the night that Hermione was born, some sort of miracle had occurred.

The night of September nineteenth, nineteen seventy-nine had been a night, if not for her precious daughter's birth, that Ann Granger would have normally wished to forget. The small village of Braxshire had gone from eerily quiet to filled with screams of terror and fear as a multitude of robed figures appeared seemingly out of thin air and attacked, led by a tall man with flashing red eyes.

Maybe it was the fear that had triggered it, but at that moment, Ann went into labour three weeks early. She hadn't known where her husband was and she was afraid of screaming out of fear of one of the attackers hearing her. At all costs, she had to protect herself for her baby's sake.

And then she was there, an angel of mercy and kindness. Ann had briefly registered the sudden lack of screams before a pair of gentle hands softly touched her face, wiping the sweat from her.

Ann listened as the strange woman spoke kind words, soothing her as the contractions came closer together. She knew it would only be a little time now before she would have to push but yet she also knew that she had to hold out as long as possible. The air was quiet…too quiet.

It was then that Ann had noticed the piece of wood that the woman held tightly in one hand and the way that her eyes kept shifting uneasily.

Ann reached out a hand and gently touched the other woman's, causing her to jerk lightly before calming once more. "What's your name?" Ann asked her saviour in a hushed voice.

She noticed how the other woman had stalled briefly, seemingly considering whether or not to answer before smiling and saying, "Hermione. My name is Hermione."

Hermione had stayed with Ann for the two and a half hours that it had taken for baby Hermione to be born. Yes, Ann had named her daughter after her saviour who not only stayed by her side but also protected her with strange magic. Hermione, both Hermione's, were her miracles.

So now, eleven years later, Ann knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that her daughter was special and unique, just like she had known that her angel had been unique. She also noticed how her daughter had uncanny similarities to the woman who had saved them both.

So, Hermione was now an example of the perfect daughter and student. Teachers adored her, parents wished she were their own, and other students resented her. Hey, you can't win all the battles.

And so we find our young Hermione on this late summer's day right after school let out, in her room with a book on her lap, biting her lip. Ann was downstairs in the kitchen cooking a delicious meal while Mike was still at the office. He had been called in earlier when a well-renowned rugby player had broken his two front teeth during practice.

The air was very humid despite the fact that it was getting rather late in the evening. Ann had earlier opened a window in hopes of a stirring breeze sweeping through. Thus far, she had been unsuccessful as she had switched on one of the ceiling fans.

Upstairs, Hermione swiped her forehead with the back of her hand, smearing the sweaty film that had formed along her hairline. She gave a mighty 'harrumph' and pulled back her bushy mane with a hair tie, twisting it into a bun off of her neck. Sometimes she thought it would be better just to get it all whacked off. She had switched on one of her small fans earlier and was currently stretched out in front of it, hoping that the limited cool air would cool her down just a little.

She glanced up at the clock and noticed that the time was nearing seven; her father should be home soon and they would eat. That was a strict rule in the Granger household- you always eat as a family. Hermione rather liked the fact that they were so close, and yet sometimes she longed for the freedom she witnessed in other families. It wasn't that her freedom was restricted; it was just that sometimes she felt restricted by simply being there. It was rather hard to explain.

The other thing Hermione longed for was friendship. Not the friendship that was more like 'you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours', but the forever kind of friendship where they know you better than yourself sometimes. She lacked that.

Hermione found that she could no longer concentrate on the book in front of her. So, with a hearty sigh, she shut the cover and raised herself up off the floor. She made her way over to the window where she looked out at the large lawn where a single willow tree stood with a bench sitting beneath it.

Due to the fact that her parents were so successful, they were able to afford a lovely and yet simple two story house and quite a bit of land away from the main village. They had bought this house right after Hermione had been born.

Hermione ran her hands over the bottom of her shirt to attempt to smooth out the wrinkles. Then, she turned and walked out of her bedroom and down the staircase to enter the kitchen where her mum was humming a Bon Jovi tune while she rolled the chicken in the bread crumbs.

As soon as Ann spotted her daughter, she smiled and stuck out her cheek for Hermione to kiss. "Hello dear," she said as she slapped another piece of chicken onto the pan, "finish your book?"

Hermione sat herself onto a high bar stool and folded her hands on top of the island. "No," she replied, "it's too hot to concentrate on anything at the moment. Do you need any help?"

"No dear, I'm almost done. Your father should be home in a bit and this should be done." Ann smiled as she wiped her hands on her frilly apron. "Why don't you pour us a drink and take it into the sitting room. I'll be in right after I put the chicken in to bake."

Hermione complied and poured two glasses of ice tea. She took a sip of her own as she walked into the lightly coloured sitting room with the dark chocolate brown couch in the center. The fireplace and the couch were the main focal points of the room and Hermione found they contrasted pleasantly against one another.

Hermione was just getting ready to sit down when the shrill sound of the doorbell made her snap back up. The Granger household hardly ever received visitors and even then they called beforehand. Ann's voice called from the inner sanctum of the kitchen asking her to get the door.

Whatever she was expecting, it was not what she found on the other side of the oak door. The man and woman on the outside were shocking to say the least and certainly more absurdly dressed than most she had ever seen considering the man was wearing what appeared to be a dress.

But what shocked her most was the expression on the woman's face as the door opened. It was a mixture of shock, relief, and something else…something that Hermione briefly thought was love before dismissing the notion. Whatever it was, it was hidden an instant later as the older man laid a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Miss Hermione Granger, I presume," the older man said quite cheerfully, his eyes twinkling behind his half moon spectacles.

Hermione found her eyes roaming the length of his strangely long white beard and then to his age old hands that were folded neatly in front of him now. "Yes sir," she replied, remembering that one must always be polite, "I am."

The man leaned slightly forward, a smile on his face. "Is your mother still in the kitchen cooking that delicious breaded chicken whose aroma is simply mouth watering?"

_Well, he sure can give compliments_, Hermione thought as she smiled and opened the door a little wider. "Yes, sir, she is. Would you like to come in?"

"We'd be delighted," was all he said as he allowed his companion to step in front of him and enter the house, not looking around but at her.

"Hermione?" Ann's voice drifted in from the kitchen, steadily coming closer. "Who is it dear?"

Hermione opened her mouth to answer but she just realized that she had never even thought to ask them their names. She glanced at the man and then at the doorway where her mother had just appeared.

"Ah, Mrs. Granger," the man greeted, "please excuse us for barging into your lovely home unannounced and uninvited but we thought it would be better to come in person rather than sending a letter."

"That's quite alright, Mr…?"

"Albus Dumbledore, my dear lady," the man replied cheerfully with a slight bow, "and may I present Minerva McGonagall."

Hermione felt a pull in her stomach but dismissed it as just her being hungry. The McGonagall lady was still looking at her peculiarly. Hermione found herself shifting nervously as she stood a little off to the side in hopes of making herself scarce. Hermione was never one to run away from a battle, but, in this particular one, her opponents were unknown.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Dumbledore and Ms. McGonagall. Would you care for a drink?"

Dumbledore smiled graciously and took a seat while Ann retreated to the kitchen to pour two more glasses of ice tea. Hermione knew it would be impolite to leave the room (and she was _not_ impolite) so she also took a seat…far away from the couch.

But not even the distance could stop those blue eyes from finding her. "Miss Granger, you are eleven I believe."

Hermione nodded once. "Yes, sir, twelve in September."

If possible, Dumbledore's smile grew wider. "Excellent. Right on time then." He glanced at the stern McGonagall and patted her hand comfortingly. "You know, Miss Granger, I do believe there is something about you."

Ann chose that exact moment to walk back into the room, hearing his last comment. "Why, I've been saying the exact same thing for the past eleven years. Ever since her birth, there has always been something special about Hermione."

"Yes," McGonagall said, speaking for the first time since she entered the Granger Household, "she is a very special girl indeed."

Hermione looked at her, not just stared but actually looked past the cool exterior and examined the woman beneath. She knew there was more than those piercing tawny eyes were letting onto.

"Mrs. Granger," Dumbledore said as he took the large glass from Ann's hands, "I'm afraid I wasn't completely honest when I told you who I am."

Ann paused just as she was about to sit down in a complimenting chair opposite of the couch. "You weren't?"

"No, you see I am Albus Dumbledore but I am more formally known as the Headmaster of Hogwarts," he replied. "Minerva, here, is one of the Professors and Head of House for Gryffindor."

"Hogwarts?" Hermione questioned. "I'm sure that I've read about _every_ school and yet I don't recall…"

"That's because only a select few are allowed to know about Hogwarts," Dumbledore said as he took a sip of his drink. "You, by our presence here, will be one of those select few."

"I'm quite sorry, Professor Dumbledore," Ann said with a small smile, "but Hermione has already been accepted into…"

"Yes, yes," Dumbledore interrupted so pleasantly that there was no possible way to be mad at him, "that is all well and so forth, but I must request that you hear us out."

Ann seemed to be thinking it over but the door opened and closed as the sound of Mike Granger's voice drifted down the hallway.

Ann rose from her seat to greet her husband by the door with a kiss on the cheek. "Darling, this is Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, and this is Professor Minerva McGonagall, a teacher there."

"How do you do?" Mike asked politely as he shook both of their hands. He then walked over to Hermione and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Hey pumpkin, being good?"

"But of course," Hermione replied sweetly. Mike took a seat on the arm of Hermione's chair, letting his arm drape over the back.

"So, Professor Dumbledore, what can we do for you?"

"We want Hermione to attend Hogwarts, of course," the old headmaster replied simply.

"Well, I'm terribly sorry but Hermione has already been accepted into the Royal Academy for Ladies," Mike said. "They've been after her for years and she's been offered numerous scholarships."

Dumbledore nodded his head. "Yes, we realize your daughter's amazing academic success, but we must impose the severity of your decision. You see, Hermione _is_ special. In fact, she's more special than you could ever imagine."

"What do you mean?" Ann asked, obviously confused by the small hints that the older man was giving. Ann rather detested puzzles so it was no surprise that she was beginning to grow agitated.

Hermione found that she was sitting on the edge of her chair, waiting for his response. Though her father had yet to move, she could sense the change in him. She could even sense the change in her mum, noticing how white her knuckles had gone from her death grip she had on her cup. Hermione rather thought that it would shatter at any moment what with the pressure being exerted upon it.

"I'm meaning that Hermione's rare talents," Dumbledore explained, "would best be used in our school for we are the only ones that could really further her development. Actually, there are few schools in the world that could do this but ours would be the best for her."

"Please, sir," Ann said as politely as she could muster, "you're speaking in riddles. Clarify what you mean, please."

Dumbledore chuckled while McGonagall merely sat ramrod straight. "Of course, Mrs. Granger, but first, has Hermione ever done anything simply unexplainable when she was highly upset, angry, or extremely happy?"

"Why, no…," Ann said somewhat hesitantly as she glanced over to where her daughter sat with Mike. "Well…there was that one time…"

"One time?" Dumbledore questioned, raising one white bushy eyebrow inquisitively. "Care to elaborate?"

"Well, it was really nothing, you see," Ann rushed on to say, "she was only three after all…you see, Mike and I were watching a move and Hermione, I guess being her age then, was upset because we weren't paying her any attention…"

"I remember that," Mike said with a small smile on his face. "That's when our tele blew up. The maintenance guy said that it sometimes happens with old televisions."

"Yes, so that couldn't possibly be cause of Hermione…," Ann added hastily, her whole hand now turning white. "But then…there was also that one time at the zoo…Hermione was five and she loved monkeys, absolutely adored them. Well, when she couldn't get to them to pet them…well, the glass sort of disappeared."

"But the zoo guy said that it probably just shattered and we just didn't see it," Mike added in his daughter's defense.

"Did you see any glass?" Dumbledore questioned.

"Well, no, but…"

"Were they cleaning up any glass?"

"Not that we'd seen, but…"

"Do you know if there was any glass to be cleaned up?"

"No…"

"Then where did the glass go?"

All of the Grangers looked at each other, trying to figure out what the strange Headmaster was trying to imply. The man confused them greatly. He was thoroughly frustrating in the aspect that he made them question the past by implying that something had not been the way they always thought.

"Sir?" Hermione questioned, scooting a little further forward on her seat. "Just what are you saying?"

Dumbledore sat up straighter as he folded his hands neatly on his lap. "Hermione is no ordinary girl. Since her birth, she has been watched over for both yours and her protection."

He looked at Ann. "Mrs. Granger, you know what happened over eleven years ago, or you think you know what happened. It was more than you could possibly ever fathom. However, I hope in some way to help you understand."

Hermione glanced at her father, trying to gain something from him. But yet she received nothing as usual. She hated it when she couldn't get the answers as fast as she wanted them.

"Does this have anything to do with the woman who helped me give birth to Hermione?" Ann asked softly. Her eyes were wide as she looked between Dumbledore and McGonagall, seeking answers too.

"Yes," he answered simply.

"She saved our lives that night, didn't she?"

Dumbledore hesitated a fraction of a second before saying, "Yes, she did."

Ann rose from her seat and walked over to the window, looking out onto the lawn. Everyone was watching her as she stood silent and still, rubbing her hand slowly across the base of her throat.

Slowly, she turned around, looking straight into Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes. Her mouth was set into a grim line, her eyes hard.

"I know that that woman was different…a lot different," Ann drawled finally. "Just tell me, is Hermione, my Hermione, like her?"

Dumbledore smiled slowly as he looked at his companion from the corner of his eye, the twinkle shining brightly. "Yes, Hermione is exactly like her."

The room was deadly silent.

"You see, she is a witch."

**A/N: And thus the first chapter of the second part of the trilogy is up...aren't you happy? I'm all settled into my new room now and man was moving a fun adventure...I especially liked the part where I tried to move my fridge up a floor by myself. Life lesson, always make someone else help you move. Saves time and energy.**

**MiZZ AmAyA**


	2. Year One

**DISCLAIMER: Once again I must insist that I do not own Harry Potter or any other brand name, known item in this story. I only own the plot and Lauri, Rachel, and everyone else you don't recognize.**

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long. Please read the following before you continue:**

The second part is mainly going to be about retelling the 6 years at Hogwarts. Since the war happened before Hermione's seventh year (as I stated in CY) I obviously have to stop at the end of their 6th year. Some things are obviously going to change due to the fact that Harry has his parents AND Remus is married and has a child. I do not mention all events in retelling this, it would have been too long then. I scan over SOME of the important events. Please note that this is now changing to first person. Hermione is telling her story to someone, you just have to guess who. You'll see what I mean...

**Year One**

Those three words changed my life forever. I went from being a bushy hair, bucktooth, know-it-all who couldn't even rattle off seven of my classmates to being a girl with power. No, I didn't exactly know what it was or how to control it, but I was determined to find out.

My first trip to Diagon Alley still leaves me breathless every time I think about it. I remember thinking that if the whole wizarding world was like that then I would have no problem leaving the one I belonged to now. It had that effect on everyone I came to discover later.

My favourite store would, of course, have to be Flourish and Blotts. I bought ten extra books along with the ones on my list- including _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Lord_.

Mum was more than ready to purchase more; she, too, wanted to discover the secrets of this amazing world. I made a friend with the owner that day, a friendship that would last over the years.

I didn't notice then but I remember now the stares. I had been on the receiving end of a lot of them, but in my youth I had not noticed. I had been too enraptured by the magical place around me to notice.

So I would begin my first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry without knowing an ounce of who I would grow up to be. In my books, I had read about Harry Potter and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but never really anything of tremendous value. That is to say (as I can tell you now looking back on it all) I saw nothing of importance.

That would be later.

On the train I would make two very important discoveries. First, I was different from everyone else. I was still the same studious person and they, simply, were not. Second, I happened upon Harry Potter himself in one of the train compartments and somehow managed to make a complete and total arse of myself in front of him.

Neither they- Harry and a boy by the name of Ronald Weasley, Ron for short- nor I would forget that moment during the years to come. Somehow it would always manage to creep up in conversations or be the butt of a joke. I won't bother you now by telling you, you're sure to find out later anyway.

Hogwarts.

My first glance of it as we crossed the lake made my breath hitch and my heart to momentarily stop as I gazed upon its splendor. It was so amazing and grand, this place that I would call home for the next seven years. I think I fell in love with it then, though all my mind could think about was how big the library probably was.

I would make many discoveries during my first week. The first and foremost probably being that I was what was generally known as a mudblood, a muggleborn who purebloods thought beneath them. One of the next being that my house, Gryffindor, didn't really suit me. I was constantly informed that I should have been in Ravenclaw.

Oh, I forgot to mention the sorting.

There are four houses at Hogwarts which you already know all about but I will retell you anyways. Gryffindors are known for bravery, Ravenclaws are smart, the Hufflepuffs are noble, and the Slytherins are cunning.

Purebloods usually get shifted into Slytherin and yet, as I soon discovered, there are a few exceptions to that rule. When the sorting hat touched my head, I was immersed into an interesting conversation that I will probably always carry with me. Its' words would guide me throughout the course of my life and yet it also added a cautionary factor.

I, along with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, was sorted into Gryffindor.

Maybe that is why I stayed by myself most of the time. I haunted the library which I discovered was one of the greatest places ever. I tried to make friends, though in my innocence I believed that I could use my intelligence as a sort of attractant to draw people to me. I didn't realize until it was too late that I was giving them the wrong impression.

I may have remained friendless if it hadn't been for the Halloween incident. Oh yes, the life changing moment when I would become part of the group. I can't help but wonder whether we ever would have become friends if not for the troll.

Maybe I should tell you what exactly happened.

It was Halloween and we had classes that day. Professor Flitwick had us charming feathers in Charms and I had been partnered up with Ron. As usual, he couldn't get the incantation quite right and so I tried to correct him. I had looked snobby, I know now.

I had been hiding out in the girl's bathroom after hearing Ron make fun of me to his friends when the mountain troll had lumbered in. I had just finished bawling my eyes out about being too scholastic when he had entered.

I don't believe I had ever been that scared as I was at that moment. I think I would have screamed if it hadn't been for the fact that I couldn't make a sound.

I was so thankful when they had charged through the door of the girl's lavatory, wands raised. They fought gallantly for me and I paid them back in kind by taking all of the blame which thoroughly shocked all of the Professors that had arrived on the scene.

That was the day the duo became a trio.

We had become the 'Golden Trio' to some, mainly to a Slytherin boy by the name of Draco Malfoy. We caused some mischief, occasionally bending the rules when we needed to, but other than that, we were everyone's favourite students.

Save Snape, of course.

The Potions Master was a dark figure, always seen scowling and sneering. He took a special liking to bearing down on us during potions. He had a certain grudge against Gryffindor, but especially us. Harry told me of the long feud between his father, his godfather, and Snape.

I had heard some stories of Harry's parents along with his father's best friends. I wanted so badly to know them, then. They sounded…amazing.

I also heard stories of Harry's baby sister, Rachel, and of his only cousin, Declan. Rachel was three years younger than Harry, but, according to him, she was more mischievous. However, I was also told that she, like her mother, loved to read. She also loved to hang around Harry I learned.

Declan was the son of Remus and Lauri Lupin and would be coming to Hogwarts the next year. Harry and Ron both told me that he was a smart lad who had a short temper. He could be a feisty one if you pressed him far enough, like his mother they said.

I wanted to meet this odd group so bad, but none more than the infamous Sirius Black who Harry constantly mentioned with this sound of awe in his voice. He was the beloved godfather and fellow mischief maker. The eleven year old idolized the man as far as I could tell, he bragged about him constantly. From what I gathered, Sirius was the only one of the group that remained unmarried.

There was one thing that Harry refused to talk about.

The year that he defeated You-Know-Who, more importantly that Halloween night, was a subject not open for discussion. I had once tried but received little for my efforts. I received a semi-glare and a warning 'don't.' But still, I wondered.

I don't really think one can really help but wonder. The questions that filled my every waking thought drove me to read more and more, yet still I did not discover anything new. All I was ever able to find out was that some woman who was close to the family died for him that night.

The one time I had gathered enough courage to bring her up with Harry, his face had grown deadly pale. "That's a sore subject with us," he had answered reluctantly after I refused to leave him alone. "She was with Sirius for a long time and he still misses her a lot."

At least now I knew why the last unmarried Marauder avoided the alter.

Harry had returned to his family's place for Christmas while Ron returned to the Burrow, the Weasley's residence. Both had asked me to come and stay with them, but I had declined- Ron because I wasn't as close to him as I was to Harry and Harry because I wanted to know more before I entered 'their world.'

I had caught a glimpse of them, though.

As I was exiting the train behind Neville Longbottom, I spotted a flash of the brightest red I had ever seen. Lily Potter was unmistakable in the crowd as well as her husband. Harry was an exact replica of James Potter. Rachel, however, had reddish-brown hair with greenish-gold eyes. They looked so…perfect.

Alright, so maybe I was intimidated a little, but you would be too if you looked like me and was staring at the most perfect family possible. I could only imagine how dreadfully dull I looked to them.

What happened next is nothing short of extraordinary. Lily Potter looked up and her eyes had caught mine. She sort of gave me a half smile while Harry rambled on about something or other to his father and sister and moved past them.

It took me a moment to realize that she was coming towards me and even then I couldn't help but glance around to see if there was someone else standing near.

Nope, just me.

"Hello, you must be Hermione. I'm Lily, Harry's mother."

I couldn't help but to return her smile though I was a bit self conscious about my buck teeth. "Hello Mrs. Potter, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Lily, please. Mrs. sounds so old." She gave me a soft chuckle before her eyes, so much like Harry's, peered at me closely. "You know, you remind me of someone I used to know…"

I blushed and shrugged my shoulders. "I've been getting that a lot this year, but I honestly don't know why. I don't know who I could possibly resemble…"

She grinned and patted my shoulder as if she had known me my whole life. "You're a beautiful girl, Hermione. One day I'll tell you who you remind me of, but not today."

My parents chose that exact moment to walk up to collect me. After the polite introductions and greetings, Lily Potter bade me goodbye and went to rejoin her family. That brief meeting would stay in my mind for a long time.

Before I knew it, the Christmas breaks were over and I was boarding the Hogwarts Express once more. Ron and Harry were already waiting for me in one of the compartments towards the back. Each wore a content smile upon their face.

I flopped down on the space beside of Harry and offered him a smile as we discussed something we have been researching since the night Draco had challenged Harry to a wizard's duel and we had almost got caught (an interesting story. If I ever have time, I will be sure to tell you)- the Philosophers Stone.

Well, we hadn't known it by that name at the time. We simply knew that the three headed dog, Fluffy by name, was guarding something important. Of course, since we were rather biased, we immediately accused Snape of any and all wrong doing in this particular case.

Towards the end of the year, we had discovered the name of the stone as well as what it was used for. We quickly deduced that Fluffy probably wasn't the only protection guarding the stone.

Of course, we also assumed that Snape was trying to get it so he could deliver it to the Dark Lord (we figured that after serving a detention in the Forbidden Forest after being caught in the Astronomy Tower delivering Hagrid's pet dragon to Charlie Weasley and Firenze the centaur told Harry that You-Know-Who wasn't really dead) so that he could be rewarded.

The Philosophers Stone would enable the Dark Lord to return to life from the wisp of a spirit he was now and take over the world also bringing about Harry's demise.

Not a very pleasant thought.

So, at the ripe old age of eleven, we decided that it was our duty to protect the stone and thereby protect the world. You can probably imagine how bad that could have gone.

Fortunately for us, though, it didn't go _all_ that bad.

When we finally figured out the day that Snape would make his move, we set off for the forbidden third floor corridor. We slipped past Fluffy with the help of a flute and fell into…

Devil's Snare.

I still hate the stuff with a vengeance. It made me look completely barking mad. I couldn't remember anything except to not struggle- not something you tell two boys who are being strangled by the vines.

Sure, I remembered that a fire would make it retract but it took Ron and Harry barking at me that I was a witch to realize to use my wand. I never really did well under pressure.

We traveled on easily from there. That is until we were met with McGonagall's protection- a giant wizard's chess board.

Now, Harry and I are both horrible at chess, Ron slaughtered us every time, and so we happily took a step back and let him take charge.

The game flowed smoothly for a while. It actually appeared that we would win, and then the other side had made its move. Now, even as hopeless as I am at the game, I quickly realized what had to be done…so did Harry.

Ron sacrificed himself so that Harry could checkmate.

We won.

It was a small victory, though, one we took in small stride as we unwillingly left Ron behind so that we could face the next task…

Snape's.

Of course the man would make his a logical problem. You had to choose the correct potion to get you through. There was also another to get you back.

Harry was relying on me, I knew. I had to get this right…for both of us but no pressure right. I was nervous though I was determined to not show it. I would remain calm. I would remain collected.

I solved it.

I had never been so happy as when Harry safely walked through those flames and I was able to walk back through the opposite ones for Ron and to send an owl to Dumbledore. Harry needed help and I needed to get it for him.

I wouldn't find out till much later what had happened down there. I admit, I was surprised when I learned that it had been Quirrel, not Snape, down there and that he was the body harboring the Dark Lord's spirit.

That was when I decided to not judge people…a promise I would later forget.

I stayed mostly by Harry's side when I was not in the library. The whole fact that he could have been killed finally sunk in. I didn't want to lose my best friend.

I saw more of Lily Potter. She had come to visit Harry right after the accident while he was in the Infirmary. I just happened to be standing there when she came in that first afternoon, her eyes worried.

I also just happened to be standing behind the door when Dumbledore had strolled in. What? I did learn a few things from Harry and Ron I'll have you know.

Apparently when the woman had died for him all those years ago, she gave him a sort of protection. That protection was love.

I didn't question Harry about it, but now I think I should have. I should have done a lot of things…but I didn't. I wouldn't regret the things I didn't do until later when I was finally able to understand.

The ignorance of youth astounds me even today. I should have known it was right there staring at me every time she looked at me, every time she spoke my name. I should have noticed the slight hitch in her voice when she would start to talk to me.

But I didn't.

And so our first year ended and Gryffindor won the House Cup for the first time in a long time. Harry hugged me before he walked over to where Lily and Rachel waited for him. Ron just waved.

Summer…

**Remember, she's telling her story to someone. If you didn't read the piece before the chapter, go up and read it now, it explains a lot. Thanks for being patient with me, I know I can be tiresome sometimes. If you have time, check out _Parallels_ by BlackSparrow06. Also take a look at grangerenchanted(dot)com. It's an awesome site and I'm posting some stories over there that are too naughty for ff. **

**Much love,**

**MiZZ AmAyA**


	3. Year Two

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own any of it except for anything you do not recognize...**

**I goofed and I apologize. I left for a week and had EVERY intention of updating but 1) Forgot the disk with the story on it and 2) got trapped in my house because of snow and thus had no access to internet. I apologize and I hope you all forgive me...please.**

**Beta: The WONDERFUL moonyNZ**

**Year Two**

The summer between my first and second year at Hogwarts, I received an odd thing for me by owl- an invitation. It came by means of a snowy white owl that I recognized as Hedwig, Harry's owl.

I was somewhat hesitant to open it, knowing that it was going to be hard to turn him down. But I pulled myself together and opened the parchment.

Imagine my shock when I discovered that it was not from Harry, but from Lily. She was asking whether I would like to come and stay with them for the final duration of break. She wrote that Ron might be coming over as well.

I was unsure. On one hand, I desperately wanted to meet all the people Harry had told me about. They all sounded so fascinating that I just wanted to meet them.

On the other hand, I didn't. I had built up these little fantasy pictures concerning each of them, all so wonderful in their own little way, and I didn't want to ruin that by meeting them and discovering the real 'them.'

In the end, I declined. My parents had decided that they would like to go somewhere… anywhere for vacation. They decided on Prague. I went with them and learnt a little it about foreign wizards, gaining some insightful knowledge.

Of course, me and my knowledge. You don't have to look at me like that, I already know that I am an 'insufferable know-it-all' - Snape's favourite phrase when he deemed to lower himself from that pedestal and talk to me.

Oh yes, how _important_ I felt then.

Even though I declined the offer, I still agreed to meet them in Diagon Alley to shop for school supplies. Just as luck would have it, they couldn't have chosen a worse day to go.

Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself here.

When I arrived back from Prague, I arrived back to many letters from my friends, muggles of course. Well, acquaintances really. They were the type of friends that would be nice to your face and then stab you repeatedly once your back was turned.

They were told that I had been carted away to some high class private school in Switzerland. Not a bad cover story if I do say so myself.

Anyway, they were inviting me to some party or another and…

What? You want to know why after all those years of remaining friendless and home alone they were all of a sudden inviting me to these parties? Don't worry, I wonder the same thing myself.

Ehem…as I was saying, they finally wanted me around. I must admit, I was tempted to write and ask them whether I could attend, but I would not give in. I will not befriend them only because they think I'm someone important.

Ah, the drama of life.

So, I had a week or two to just idle around while I waited for the day for us to go to Diagon Alley. I tidied up my stuff, packing my Hogwarts belongings into my trunk. I would be returning to the Burrow with the Weasley's. Ron had invited me saying that Harry would be coming over as well.

My mum and dad noticed the change in me. They saw that I was no longer the shy, timid little girl I was before I went to Hogwarts. I could see it in their eyes when they looked at me…they looked so sad.

They were suffering from withdrawal. They realized that in a way they were losing their baby girl. I wasn't the same, nor would I ever be. I was no longer innocent in the way a child is and I would never regain that childish innocence, yet I was still innocent.

The day finally arrived and I watched as my parents loaded my school supplies into the boot of the car. My mum was wringing her hands while my dad was frowning. He would look up at me occasionally and then start to shake his head. I offered him a small smile.

"All packed," he had said finally, shoving the boot of the car shut. He came around and hugged me tight, kissing the top of my head. "You don't have to go, you know."

I looked up into his eyes, ones like mine, and smiled. "Dad, I would have been gone the same amount of time had I went to the Royal Academy for Ladies, you know that. I'll be back before you know it."

He smiled grimly and hugged me once more. "I know that, it's just that you're actually growing up. You're no longer my baby girl."

I will forever remember that moment. It was the first time that my father actually expressed his fear. That memory will forever burn in my mind as I look back on the happier times.

"No matter how old I get daddy," I said, grinning, "I will always be your baby girl. I love you."

"I love you too, pumpkin."

And then we were off, towards the promise of a better tomorrow. My parents seemed a little more accepting after that of my 'other life' as we loved to call it. They even bought me candy with sugar!

We entered Diagon Alley through the normal means- the Leaky Cauldron. Tom, the bartender, seemed nice enough. He loved to chat- as we soon discovered- but would occasionally glance at me in an odd way like he was trying to figure out some complex puzzle. It appeared that I would be the centre of a lot of puzzlement.

Diagon Alley was bustling with activity as we walked through the archway. Some classmates of mine were shopping for school supplies and waved at me before hurrying on their way. My parents smiled as we continued on our way.

I had yet to see either Harry or Ron in the crowd. I could only assume that they had yet to arrive. We decided to go on to Gringotts to get some pounds exchanged.

My mum and dad were still fascinated by the goblins. They had first been scared last year when they had seen them, but that had instantly chanced into fascination. I had this hunch that they wanted to question them.

I first spotted the ginger hair when we excited Gringotts. It belong to Mr. Weasley who was walking down the street with who I figured was Ginerva Weasley, Ginny to her friends. Mrs. Weasley wasn't too far behind.

Mr. Weasley waved to me and I waved back. We met each other and I quickly discovered that Ron had yet to arrive but was expected soon. He also said that he would retrieve my trunk from the car before we left here.

I walked with them to Flourish and Blotts. My parents were chatting with the elder Weasleys while I talked with Ginny. She was actually really nice and she had a huge crush on Harry. Apparently she had been crushing on him for a while now and showed no signs of getting over him.

It was outside of Flourish and Blotts that we met up with the Potters and Ron. This time, though, they had someone else with them- Declan Lupin. James Potter did a double take when he looked at me, his hazel eyes resting uneasily on me. I was a bit unnerved by it.

Declan quickly drew me into a discussion about books and scholars while Ron and Harry exchanged 'the look.' Meanwhile, I chanced a glance over to see James conferring with Lily while making discreet gestures in my general direction.

I would dismiss the whole entire thing later, but right then I couldn't help but wonder whether the elder Potters knew something…something about me.

We all made our way through the various shops to buy our stuff, deciding to wait to shop in the bookstore until later. We ran into little or no problems along the way; that is, until we decided to return to Flourish and Blotts.

When we entered, we noticed the particularly long line littering through the store. Lily came up behind Harry and I and gently touched our shoulders. We figured she was probably conveying that maybe we should return at a better time.

However, both Harry and I are rather inquisitive and wanted to know what was going on. So, we each gave the other a look and stepped on into the store, Rachel and Declan following shortly behind. Ginny, Ron, and the others came along as well after a brief hesitation.

Due to both mine and Harry's small statures, we were able to easily manoeuvre through the crowds. When we neared the front, I was able to make out a small billboard that read "Magical Me."

And that was how we first met Gilderoy Lockhart.

He was an interesting sort of man, really. I noticed right away, along with all the other witches in the store, that he was devastatingly handsome…and boy did he know it. His golden waves were to die for and his bright smile was enchanting. More or less, he was a man in all its finer glory.

James, however, held a particular distaste for that man- a distaste he passed on to his son. He earned himself a few icy glares from his wife when he refused to stop cracking jokes about the man.

Harry received a little special- and unwanted- attention, though, when Lockhart spotted him. Poor boy, he had to get his picture taken and everything. Really, from the sour look on his face you'd think someone was trying to kill him.

Anyway, it was as we were headed out of the bookstore that the real drama began.

An impeccably dressed blond hair man stepped directly in our path, his icy eyes glaring down at us. I may have been mistaken, but I thought I saw a flash of something in his eyes when they met mine.

"Ah, if it isn't the blood traitors and muggle lovers out for a walk," he drawled in a silky tone. His eyes met mine. "And who's this? I suspect you are the Miss Hermione Granger that my son keeps talking about. Mudblood, are you not?"

"Watch it Malfoy," James warned as he stepped forward.

"Easy Potter," he said dispassionately. Without warning, the snakehead on his cane was under my chin and pushing my head up for inspection. Someone, I suspect James, knocked it away. The man only smirked. "Nothing remarkable, but I wager she'll grow up into one ravishing beauty, don't you think so Potter?"

James growled in his throat while his hazel eyes burned with hatred. "I'm warning you, Malfoy, stay away from her. Stay away from all of them."

"Don't worry, Potter, I have no interest in her yet."

The way he said it so carelessly with a mild shrug scared me. However, he turned to Ginny, plucking the books from her cauldron.

"Shabby," he tsked with scorn, "but then you could hardly afford anything better, could you Weasley?"

Arthur Weasley bit back his retort but still turned as red as a tomato. The elder Malfoy smirked mirthlessly. "Don't worry, Weasley, you may get a promotion some day."

"I'm quite happy where I am, thanks," was Mr. Weasley's only reply.

Malfoy dropped the books back into Ginny's cauldron and cast one last disdaining look around before flouncing out, his son following behind.

I would soon dismiss that moment from my mind. I know now that I should have paid more attention to the little things. That I should have wondered more about the look Malfoy Sr. cast upon me. But I didn't and I can't change that fact now.

As I said before, there would be many questions that I didn't ask that I should have.

My stay at the Burrow was quite interesting. It was an odd and yet fascinating sort of house. The slight tilt, the few missing shingles, the general look of the place actually made it feel very homely. I really quite liked it.

Rachel and Declan ended up joining us as well. I must admit, the young boy could hold my attention for quite a long bit of time. Rachel, too, proved very entertaining, especially when she was mad. She really was a spitfire and I was sort of glad I was on her good side.

One morning in particular, the morning before we had to go back, a fight ensued from a prank the guys- Declan excluded- pulled on Rachel. She, in all her glory, matched kind for kind. Though we're really not sure what she did to them, the boys weren't able to sit all night.

I applauded her.

As so the boys learnt their lesson, Rachel was collected and admonished by her parents, and we packed our belongings for another glorious year at Hogwarts.

Hogwarts was the same as I remember it. The towering castle was an amazing view. However, there was one thing wrong- I had no idea where Harry and Ron had got off to.

Somehow I had lost them while boarding the train and haven't seen them since. It wasn't so bad, though, since I had Ginny and Declan to keep me company. Still, I couldn't help but wonder where those two miscreants had got off to.

Later, I would wish that I didn't know.

Somehow, a rogue House Elf had prevented both Ron and Harry from crossing through the barrier and so they got it into their little minds that they should fly the Weasley's blue Ford Angela to Hogwarts. Don't ask me if they seriously thought they could get away with it; personally, I think they're both idiots for it.

It was Snape that caught them and it is for that reason alone that I feel sorry for them. Harry told me later that Snape was all for expelling them but McGonagall only gave them a detention. Personally, I think they should be thanking every god that they can possibly think of that it wasn't worse.

That little house elf would make various appearances throughout the year. His name is Dobby and he honestly had very good intentions for everything he did. Well, except for the fact that he almost killed Harry but I'll get to that in a minute.

As the school year progressed, a number of things happened. The main event, though, was that the Chamber of Secrets had been open. No one really knew what existed in the Chamber, but it was rumoured to be the home of a horrible monster.

It was also rumoured that Harry was the one controlling the monster. You see, we discovered that he was a Parseltongue during one of the duel sessions held by our new DADA professor.

That was the next big thing. Gilderoy Lockhart had somehow managed to get the Defence Against the Dark Arts position and proved to be quite an incompetent professor. Yes, the female population was in love with him- including me- but he was still a horrible teacher.

Anyway, during one Quidditch match- Gryffindor versus Slytherin- Dobby decided to 'warn' Harry again, only he never really thought ahead in his plan. The bludger that he charmed to 'scare' Harry actually ended up trying to kill him…literally.

Harry caught the snitch, winning the game for Gryffindor, but he got his wrist broken in the process. To make matters worse, Lockhart came by to miraculously mend Harry's bones, but he ended up completely removing them.

Poor Harry had no bones in his right arm at all.

And so Harry ended up getting seriously pissed at both Dobby and Lockhart, not that I can blame him of course. That night, Colin Creevy was added to the list of victims.

Thinking that it was the Slytherins, we decided to brew the Polyjuice Potion that would allow us to take on the appearance of someone else for an hour. Needless to say, it did not go according to plan.

Harry and Ron transformed into Crabbe and Goyle, discovering that Malfoy actually didn't know anything about it, and I…well, I transformed into a cat. Not fun.

It would be soon after that that Harry would discover the diary. None of us knew what it could possibly be really or who it would belong to. There was a single name stamped on it.

Tom Marvolo Riddle.

For some reason, that name sent chills down my spine. I knew there was something familiar about that name, but I wouldn't know exactly what it was until much later. However, I should have paid attention to that feeling; it could have saved us a lot of trouble in the long run.

So, just to sum up some of the events: Harry travelled into the journal to see the memories of Tom Riddle, I got petrified on my way back from the library (I still sometimes use mirrors to look around the corner), and the Chamber of Secrets was officially open.

Since I was petrified- i.e. a stone cold statue- I didn't learn all the details until later but what I can tell you is that Ginny Weasley was possessed by Lord Voldemort's younger self and forced to do his bidding against her will. The monster inside the Chamber was a Basilisk (big scary snake) and Harry was able to destroy it with Godric Gryffindor's sword.

Apparently, Lockhart, Ron, and Declan were also down in the Chamber but Harry was the only one who went into the Chamber itself. The diary was destroyed using a Basilisk fang.

I also learnt later that Dobby belonged to the Malfoys but was set free when Lucius Malfoy was tricked into giving the elf the diary stuffed in a sock. From what I heard, the elder Malfoy wasn't exactly happy about losing a servant.

What else am I missing?

Oh yeah, Lockhart's memory was obliviated by himself when he tried to use Ron's wand which had been broken at the beginning of the year. He had admitted to stealing all of those stories and yet people still loved him.

So, I was soon unpetrified and much to my horror, Dumbledore cancelled the exams. How can he even do that? I mean, I know he's the Headmaster and everything, but it's still not fair. I was prepared!

And so that was another conclusion to a year at Hogwarts. Again, we just happened to be smack dab in the centre of all the drama, we honestly don't plan it that way.

As I said my goodbyes to Harry and Ron, I knew that I probably wouldn't see them till the end of summer. I did promise, though, that I would meet them at Diagon Alley.

As we, my parents and I, pulled away from King's Cross, I couldn't help but wonder what adventure we'd find ourselves in the next year….

**A/N: I know they're short but I'm just generalizing...Some things have to be changed due to new characters and such. Oh, to answer the whole Lauri, Remus, Tonks issue, I can only say this: Hermione wrote to Lauri and brought her back. If, IF, Lauri had just happened to exist in JK's world then she wouldn't have come back because there would be no Hermione to write the letter and yada yada yada... Tonks will end up with someone...I think :-D Not making any promises cause I might end up killing the person I'm planning on hooking her up with at the moment. **

**I GOT KISSING FISHES! Yes, they kiss and I have two of them thus I named them Rabastan and Amaya to promote my new "Pair me up with Rabastan Lestrange" campaign...they're so CUTE.**

**Much Love,**

**MiZZ AmAyA**


	4. Year Three

**Disclaimer: As first you read and soon discover, I am not the picture on the cover. This work is not mine to claim, I just try to write the same...**

The much awaited chapter begins...

**Year Three**

Looking back now, I never would have realized that during my third year at Hogwarts that I would experience a life changing event. Actually, I didn't even realize I was experiencing one. Though it wouldn't happen till the end, it would ultimately change my life drastically.

Maybe I should start during the summer between my second and third year. I was thirteen going on fourteen, a young lady. My parents knew that I was growing up fast and they were terrified- I could see it in their eyes.

The first thing that would happen was that I received the customary invitations from both Ron and Harry, both of which I declined. I still had those silly notions in my head and I knew I should get over them- it was just hard.

The second was that I was literally dragged to my estranged grandmother's estate against my will to 'reconnect' with her, something I didn't particularly want to do. However, my parents commanded it of me and so I had no choice.

Merlin it was torture.

It was like experiencing the Spanish Inquisition and having to sit through a United States Congressional meeting which, in my opinion, was the equivalent of watching a psychotic squirrel in a barrel of nuts.

Translation: boring.

I know it sounds dreadfully childish, but I often found myself performing small bouts of magic that I could do without getting into trouble from my relatives. You ought to have seen Aunt Janine's face when her punch turned acid green just as she was about to drink it.

H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!

My parents shot me 'the look' and I grinned inwardly. They may suspect that it was me but they would never be able to prove it. I laid off of the pranks for a bit anyway.

I was never more glad to be home! I threw myself onto my bed with delight only to find that my mattress had an odd lump in the middle. I rose up to investigate and found Errol, the Weasley's owl. Poor thing looked a little worse for wear.

"Hello Errol," I greeted as I took the parchment from his leg, "there's some treats over there; just help yourself to some."

I will never forget that letter.

_Hermione,_

_We're coming to get you, don't argue. Peter Pettigrew has escaped from Azkaban. We don't know what he's up to so mum, dad, and Harry's folks think you should come and stay with us._

_Expect us around noon._

_Ron._

I reread it again just to make sense of it all and then glanced at the clock. It was eleven thirty. Great, I had thirty minutes to pack and explain to my parents my sudden departure.

I quickly leapt off my bed and got to work throwing stuff hazardously into my school trunk. Since it was magical, it expanded to allow all of my belongings (and I had quite a few) to fit neatly inside.

I finished packing with five minutes to spare and decided to give mum and dad the short version. But, as luck would have it, I didn't have to explain a thing. An owl from Lily Potter arrived five minutes prior to when I ran downstairs, though it was lengthier than the one I had received.

Mum looked up at me as I entered the sitting room and only asked, "Are you packed?"

Right then I knew that my mum understood. She, who had seen magic at its greatest thirteen years ago, knew that one must sacrifice to save. Her eyes were filled with worry, though, and that I couldn't erase.

I walked over to her and hugged her tightly, a part of me wishing that I never had to let go. But I knew that I must. The dangers of the wizarding world were for me alone. I couldn't ask someone to walk the path for me, nor could I expect someone to walk with me.

I, in essence, was alone.

The Weasleys stumbled out of the fireplace about eight minutes later, five of them that is. Before me were Arthur Weasley, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny, all nice and dirty from the soot.

Mr. Weasley smiled at me pleasantly. "Hello again, Hermione." He nodded to my parents. "Ann, Mike, splendid to see you as well. I hope you received the owls."

I nodded. "Yes, sir, we did. I just have to go retrieve my trunk…"

"We'll get it!" Fred and George immediately offered and, before I could stop them, were bounding up the steps in the direction of my room- it wouldn't occur to me till later that I never told them where my room was. They were back in no time lugging my trunk as if it weighed nothing.

My dad took out his wallet. "Here, this should get you all your school supplies. There's a little bit extra in there as well if you want to buy yourself a birthday present." He kissed my forehead as I took the pounds he offered. "Love you, pumpkin."

"Love you too, dad."

It was at that moment that our relationship changed. He went from 'daddy'- my saviour and defender against all evil- to 'dad'- the man who offered his genes so that I could be born. Don't get me wrong, I still loved him dearly; there was just no longer any ill-conceived notion that he could protect me from all the evil of the world.

I left my parents that day with a feeling in my stomach that things would never be the same. I knew deep down that something extraordinary would happen this year that would remove the last ounce of innocence that I possessed, from me.

And so I arrived at the Burrow with tears in my eyes. I may have known that the change was going to happen, but I didn't have to like it. I think, looking back now, I was somewhat scared of growing up. The prospect frightened me beyond belief, but I would grow up.

No one can really pinpoint the exact moment in their life when they realize that everything they have ever known changes. It is at that point that we grow up. That point is when we can look in the mirror and notice the change.

I suspect that point was around this year, my third year. Sure, before now I have seen terrible things that no one should witness that young, but I never really had understood the exact danger before this year. It was in this year that I woke up and realized that I could die.

But let's move on to a different subject. The Weasleys were overjoyed at seeing me. They had just returned from Egypt to visit one of Ron's older brothers, Bill. They had won the money in a draw held by the Ministry.

Ron was so excited about going to Diagon Alley because he had a few galleons, enough to purchase a small pet. I'll admit the idea of having a pet appealed to me and so I decided to get one myself. I thought about an owl…

I was a bit surprised with a strange man stepped through the fireplace one day. He was tall and very skinny with scars visible on his hands and face. He had mousy hair and startling amber eyes that pierced through me.

A second later, Declan appeared.

"Hermione!" he cried as he ran at me and wrapped his arms tightly around me in one of his bone crushing hugs.

"Ah," the older man said as he came up behind Declan, "so you are the infamous Hermione Granger that I've been hearing so much about." He extended his hand. "Remus Lupin."

I smiled. So this was Declan's father and one-third of the Marauders. I must admit, he was nothing like I had imagined but I think I honestly liked this image better. It made his appearance much more…wild.

Oh Merlin how I laugh now when I realized the word I paired with my future professor for he told me ten minutes later that he was taking on the Defence Against the Dark Arts position. He was so nice too, and smart; I couldn't wait to have him for class.

When I inquired about is wife, he told me that she was on a research trip for a week or two. She was working for the Experimental Magic Agency, focusing mainly on the use of vegetation and such in wands and potions.

Declan grinned at me in a goofy sort of way. "Guess what!"

I looked at him amused by his childish enthusiasm. "What?"

"Sirius will be coming back soon," he said excitedly. "He's been gone for a couple of years doing something but James and dad just received an owl from him saying that he was coming back. He might even be here before we head back to Hogwarts."

I was confused. I had thought Sirius _was_ there the whole time and I just never met him. Guess I was sadly wrong on that front. But he was coming back…did I want to meet him?

I didn't know….

Remus was going to take us over to Harry's house to meet them before heading on to Diagon Alley. I was a bit nervous. I had never been to the Potters' house. Well, I guessed I should go and get it over with, not like I had any other choice anyway.

I collected my money bag and joined them all in the sitting room in front of the fireplace. Remus smiled at me as I joined them and took my place between Ginny and Declan. I grinned at them and readied myself to floo.

My first impression of Harry's house was W-O-W. It was huge! The house, they told me, had about fifteen bedrooms and sixteen baths. There was one large kitchen and one large dining hall. There were also two _giant_ libraries, one exercise room, a music room, and a game room. The game room had a lot of muggle games as well as wizard ones.

Harry explained that Sirius usually stayed with them during the times that he was home. Obviously Harry's godfather couldn't stand to live in his own house though he still had it and kept it in impeccable shape.

I really felt sorry for the man that I had yet to meet. He was still in love with the woman that he had lost, the same woman that had died so that Harry could live. Their love was one of those legendary loves that could stretch across time and space.

As soon as my eyes landed on the photograph of them, I knew. Him with his roguishly handsome face and her with those deep brown eyes that shined with passion- they were made for each other.

And then a thought drifted through my mind. The woman, she looked so very familiar… could she have been the woman that had saved my mum that night? She sure did look like the woman my mum had described to me.

I wanted to meet Sirius then. I wanted to see what kind of man he had become. I wanted to see the love that he surely had for her.

My wish would be granted, just not as soon as I had hoped.

We all went to Diagon Alley together and I was amazed by the drastic change. Posters displaying the deranged face of Peter Pettigrew littered the streets and everyone was acting dodgy. Lily and James, I noticed, stayed protectively close to me and Harry while Remus took the others. I couldn't help but wonder what they were so scared of.

Of course it had been Pettigrew who betrayed the Potters that night; Pettigrew who willingly handed them over to Lord Voldemort on a silver platter. It was he who was the cause of so much pain.

Rachel took a step closer to her mother and tried to offer me a smile, but she failed miserably at it. Everyone, though they wouldn't admit it, was a bit uneasy.

We purchased our belongings as quickly as possible before heading over to the pet shop. I had decided on an owl, but I would not walk out with an owl that day. Ron wouldn't either for that matter.

Ron, for some unexplainable reason, was drawn to the rats. He thought they were fascinating- disgusting, I know. Anyways, while he was checking out the display of rats, Harry and I walked around.

I was scrutinizing a barn owl with liquid silver eyes when the cry sounded. It startled both Harry and I and we immediately dashed towards the source.

There was Ron, holding a particularly filthy rat, fighting off a horribly adorable- well, to me- cat mix. I think I fell in love with the half kneazle right then and there.

The old woman at the front was shouting something that sounded like "off you mangy cat! Crookshanks!" but I wasn't too sure. Ron grasped the rat firmly, protecting it from what he later proclaimed as "the monster."

Ron bought the rat and I got the cat.

The almost bald rodent was dubbed 'Scabbers' while my cat/kneazle mix kept its name of Crookshanks. They didn't get along one bit.

Scabbers, unlike normal magical rats, didn't display an ounce of magical power. Actually, he appeared quite lazy. He slept away most of the day and when he was active, he just wanted to eat all of the time. Really, he was a useless rat.

Crookshanks, on the other hand, was quite useful, though he made it an occasional habit to kill a rat or spider and bring it back to me. However, he had an acute sense of when I was sad or what not and curled up with me. He was my familiar.

Sirius didn't come back before we had to head back to Hogwarts. Professor Lupin as we now had to call him- rode with us on the train.

And so I had my first experience with a dementor.

I guess I should tell you how scary they were and how I was frozen in fear. Or maybe I should tell you about the sudden coldness that chilled my bones right to the very core, or about the distant screams in my head.

But, no, that wasn't what made me afraid of the frightening beings that fed on every happy thought you have. I was more afraid of Harry's reaction to them. His body would tense up and his eyes would freeze over. Then he would just sort of lose all of his energy and faint.

We were all by his side in an instant while Professor Lupin did something that made the dementor go away. It took us a few minutes, but we were able to bring Harry around.

He seemed sort of out of it, but after some chocolate he was a bit better. He told us that all he could really remember was a malicious cackle and a bright green light. He seemed a little shaken up, but I figured he'd be better later.

When we arrived at Hogwarts, both Harry and I were called into an immediate meeting with McGonagall. With him, she only wanted to make sure that he was okay. With me, she gave me something which would help me tremendously this year- a time turner.

An amazing little device. It was the only way that I could make it to all of my classes on time. You see, the time turner allowed me to go against time.

I admit, the whole time turning thing could get a bit hectic. There are so many rules that you have to observe. The most important one is that you cannot allow yourself to see yourself if that makes any sense.

Anyways, the one fun part about it was the fact that I was able to mess with Ron's head. The poor dear just couldn't figure out how I was able to be in two places at once. It probably didn't help that I was dreadfully evasive about the whole thing.

Hagrid was our new Care of Magical Creatures Professor and on the first day, Malfoy was injured by a hippogriff named Buckbeak; he hadn't listened to Hagrid. Basically, Hagrid was in a lot of trouble. Malfoy's father was furious and, since he couldn't get Hagrid fired, he was trying to have Buckbeak killed.

Shortly after that, we learned about Boggarts in DADA. First was Neville whose Boggart turned into Snape but he efficiently managed to change it to be dressed in his grandmother's clothing. Needless to say, Snape was not pleased when he heard the story.

Professor Lupin amazingly managed to avoid making Harry get a chance at it. I figured he knew that it would probably turn into Lord Voldemort.

For some reason Professor Lupin also made sure that I did not get a chance at it. I don't know why he was worried about me. Well, I wouldn't till much later.

And then there was Hogsmeade.

We were finally allowed to go this year and it was amazing! The shops were simply marvellous, as we soon found out, and the sights were breath taking. I think I fell in love with Hogsmeade that day.

Probably the most interesting thing in the village was the Shrieking Shack. It appeared haunted and scary to those who were simple minded, but I thought it was rather enchanting.

I noticed as we were standing there that Harry was being peculiarly quiet. When questioned about it, he merely shrugged and shook his head slowly while backing away. I knew then that there was something about the Shrieking Shack, something he was not saying…

We each went back to the school with something on our minds. Personally I wanted to know as much about the Shrieking Shack as possible.

Classes went on throughout the year with nothing really extraordinary happening. Well, except for Professor Lupin's periodic absences where Snape had to fill in as teacher. I owe my discovery to Snape. You see, I probably wouldn't have put the pieces together quite so quickly if it were not for him.

Professor Lupin, Declan's father, was a werewolf.

I didn't really think much of it. He was a nice man after all and clearly loved his son dearly, his wife too for that matter. And so I kept my discovery to myself, hoping that either Declan or he would trust me enough to tell me.

That would not happen as I soon found out.

Back to my story, nothing extraordinary happened until final exams. It was then that something shocking happened to me, something I would discuss with no one.

You see, I passed all the other exams easily. It was in Professor Lupin's trunk containing the Boggart that my first bout of doubt began to set in.

There was Lily and James, dead by Lord Voldemort's wand. There was also another man, he resembled the picture of Sirius only younger, and he was dead as well. And then there was Sirius and the woman. She turned to me and said, "You must not let it change back."

I couldn't help it, I ran. Tears were gushing from my eyes as I stumbled from the trunk. Almost instantly everyone was gathered around me.

Professor Lupin placed his hands on my shoulders. "Hermione, what happened?"

I looked into his amber eyes for a moment and saw something flicker there. It was in that moment that I chose to lie. "It was Professor McGonagall, she told me that I failed everything."

He was relieved, I could tell. But why was he relieved? Did he know something?

Of course he did, everyone had known some secret about me. You see, my friend, I know now that they were hiding something from me, something big. It was natural for me to want to know, but they would not tell me.

The days passed and it was finally time for Buckbeak's execution. Ron had earlier misplaced his rat and was currently blaming me for the umpteenth time, of my poor little Crookshanks killing the foul rodent as we walked to Hagrid's hut.

Hagrid was pleased to see us, but ushered us out before the others could get down there. Oh yeah, Hagrid had also found Scabbers to which I demanded an apology from Ron.

Anyways, we were outside under the invisibility cloak when we heard two things. First, we heard the axe strike and Hagrid bawling. Then, we heard a growl.

There, standing directly behind us, was a large, black dog.

Harry seemed not to be phased by it, but Ron and I, well, we were shaking. It started advancing slowly, its eyes trained on Ron.

Suddenly, Scabbers bit Ron's finger and took off, the black dog following. I'm sure you heard rumours of the rest, who hasn't? All I can really say is that we discovered that 'Scabbers' was really Peter Pettigrew and the large black dog was Sirius Black.

Peter escaped that night, though.

You see, Professor Lupin showed up to help. Unfortunately, it just happened to be a full moon that night. So, right when we were readying to return to the castle to hand Peter Pettigrew over to the dementors, the moon came out.

A lot of stuff happened after that. Honestly, all I can remember is waking up in the Hospital Wing and seeing Harry and Ron lying there. Ron was nursing what appeared to be a broken limb while Harry just lay there.

When Harry finally did come around, Dumbledore entered looking grave. He gave the general story on what all had happened, and then he told us.

The dementors had administered the kiss…on Sirius.

I felt, for some unexplainable reason, like someone had just torn my heart mercilessly into tiny pieces. I was shocked beyond belief; it just had to be a lie I knew. But it wasn't.

And so Harry and I went back in time.

The details are tedious so I'll just give you the basics. We first saved Buckbeak from the executioner's block and hid, waiting for the opportune moment. We watched everything happen and then, when the dementors were surrounding Sirius and Harry, we acted.

Harry performed the Patronous, achieving a corporal patronous that took the shape of a stag. We successfully saved Sirius, but Peter was lost.

It wouldn't be till four days later that I would officially meet Sirius. It seemed as if all the adults were somewhat hesitant to introduce us, but they were left without much of a choice since the others continuously mentioned me.

Those eyes…I'll never forget them.

He just stared at me as if he was staring at a ghost. I felt it then- a small pull in my stomach that made me feel as if I knew him. Something flashed in my mind- an image of him standing by a black bike.

I shook the picture from my mind at the same time that he seemed to snap out of his trance. Stepping forward, he took my hand in his and kissed the back of it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hermione. I do believe I owe you a thank you for saving my life. I am forever in your debt."

He was everything I had ever imagined and yet he was completely different at the same time. I was fascinated by him and I would spend the next few years trying to figure him out.

He left Hogwarts the next day, James with him. Remus resigned after a certain Potions Master 'accidentally' let it slip about his lycanthropy. Lily stayed a day or two at the school, fussing over us and going to secret meetings with Dumbledore.

And so another year had past at Hogwarts. Peter Pettigrew was on the run and we figured he'd probably be off hiding somewhere as a rat. It was still unknown how he had escaped, but we were more concerned about catching him.

We all went our separate ways from the train. My parents were waiting just beyond the barrier for me.

I turned one last time to watch as Harry joined his folks. Then, he turned to me and waved. I waved back.

I couldn't wait for the summer to be over.

**A/N: Free advertising: Go to www(dot)grangerenchanted(dot)com(slash)enchant for very interesting fanfic stories! I'm posting some on there that I don't have on here cause they're a little too naughty. Also, remember that mistakes show that I am human. I know, I know, I can't be right ALL the time (grins).**

**Thanks for reading and sticking with me. I appreciate all of you! You're wonderful!**

**Much Love,**

**MiZZ AmAyA**


	5. Year Four

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own it.**

**I promise that this torturous recylcing of used information will end shortly...I only do this through year six. **

**Year Four**

As it turned out, I didn't have to wait for the summer to be over before I would see my friends again. Actually, it would only be a few weeks.

I had just returned from a short trip with my parents when I received three owls- one from Harry, one from Ron, and one from Declan. Each were excited and for a good reason.

The Quidditch World Cup was being held that year in England- Bulgaria versus Ireland. The boys- and Rachel- were all very excited about this because they had purchased tickets…for all of us. Yes, it appeared that I would be dragged along as well.

My parents were a little more excited about me going as I explained the sport to them. My dad, in particular, seemed quite taken by the whole concept. I figured if he could get in, he would…but alas, there were muggle protection spells up all over the place.

Anyway, it was agreed that I would go and stay with the Weasley's until the day we were to go to the stadium for the match. That way I would at least have Ginny to talk to.

Well, the day of the World Cup was finally upon us and we had to get up at the crack of dawn so that we could hike (yes, hike) to the portkey site. Read: Not Fun.

By the time we reached the top of the hill, I couldn't breathe. I knew then that I was severely out of shape but I wasn't going to make one of those stupid pledges about losing weight; I wouldn't keep it anyways.

Fred and George, the lucky bastards, were in shape and so they had no problem whatsoever of making it. The rest of us, we were just out of luck.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand, it was on top of that hill that I met Cedric Diggory for the first time. Sure, I had seen him in passing, but I didn't really 'know' him. He seemed…I don't know, shy almost.

His father, on the other hand, was rather talkative. That man had the gift of gab. He was actually rather funny to talk to; he said some of the oddest things. In a way he reminded me of Mr. Weasley.

The Potters and Lupins were waiting for us when we arrived. Declan's mum was with them this time and I was able to get my first glance of her. She was…beautiful. Her brown hair and eyes contrasted slightly against each other- one being light and the other dark.

She and Lily were just off to the side conversing together when we walked up. Brown eyes locked onto my own as she seemed to be surveying me, sizing me up. I fidgeted a bit and tried to look away but I was unable.

"Hermione!" Declan was the first to greet me- as usual. He bounded over, dragging Rachel along behind him. She would be starting Hogwarts this year, I recalled.

"Hello Declan, Rachel," I greeted with a smile.

Declan then proceeded to drag me over to introduce me to his mum who proved to be quite nice as well as pretty. She was also quite witty.

Harry trudged over then, a slight frown on his face. He informed me upon questioning that Sirius had declined coming, though he was in England. I offered my apologies to him, though I was secretly glad. There was just something about Sirius Black…

We found our nice little camp area with three tents. Since the Lupins had more room in their tent (there being only three of them), I was given a spot in there. While I unpacked my bag, Lauri came in and started conversing with me.

She asked me about everything- my parents, my grades, my hobbies, my life in general. It was in that moment that I felt like we had became friends. Like Lily, she just had that likeable quality about her.

We headed over to the pitch a little early so we could get good seat. It was there that we, unfortunately, encountered Lucius Malfoy and his prat of a son. As usual, they were quite snobbish, though I could swear I saw him look at me speculatively.

I dismissed it as my overactive imagination.

The game, I admit to you now but to no one else and I will deny it if questioned, was awesome. Their skill was simply breathtaking. Sure, Harry could fly remarkably well but never have I seen someone fly _that_ well.

Probably the most extraordinary of all the players was Bulgaria's seeker, Viktor Krum. He could fly. He caught the snitch, though Ireland won the match.

I admit, I admired him for it- he ended the match on his terms.

Afterwards we got the privilege of seeing Viktor Krum up close as both teams piled into the Ministers box to shake his hand. They walked right past us, never even noticing that we were there.

James and Lily hosted a mini feast in their tent and we were in there when the screaming began. Death Eaters, Lord Voldemort's followers, were attacking.

The adults shoved us in the general direction of the woods, telling us to stick together. But that didn't matter in the end, we still got separated.

Harry, Ron, and I lost the others in the chaos. It was only there that Harry noticed that his wand was missing when we saw Mr. Crouch's house elf, Winky, acting rather strangely.

"My wand," Harry had croaked, patting frantically at his pockets, "it's gone."

"No time…," I started to say but just then someone started whispering in the bushes.

And then we saw it.

The Dark Mark- Voldemort's mark. It hovered in the air above us, floating threateningly as the snake hissed and slithered about.

I probably would have analyzed it more if it hadn't been for the Aurors suddenly showing up there and shooting spells at us. We ducked from the numerous stupefies.

"STOP!" a voice we recognized as Arthur Weasley cried. "That's my son!"

As the spells came to a stop, we slowly came out of our crouch, rising up to face the thirty-something Aurors, some of which still had their wands trained on us.

"Which one of you did it?" someone demanded.

"We didn't do it!" Harry instantly cried.

"Someone was muttering an incantation," I said in what I hoped was a helpful manner as I pointed towards the bushes, "over there."

"An incantation, you say?" one of the Aurors growled. "How do you know what an incantation sounds like unless you've preformed one before?"

"I didn't do it!" I cried indignantly.

"Look here," one of them who had gone to examine the bushes said, pulling something from the vegetation. "Looks like we found the wand of the culprit."

"Hey," Harry said, moving forward, "that's my wand."

Barty Crouch was in his face in an instant. "Why did you do it, boy?"

Mr. Weasley came forward and stepped between Crouch and Harry. "Do you have any idea who you're accusing? Why would he, of all people cast the Dark Mark?"

"Mr. Crouch," the Auror by the bushes called, "there's something else here, a house elf by the look of it." I heard him whispering the enervate charm and something stirring.

Indeed, it was a house elf- Mr. Crouch's house elf.

What followed was slightly confusing at the time but now it makes perfect sense. Mr. Crouch searched the bushes frantically and then he gave Winky clothes. The poor ting looked like she was going to keel over right then and there from shock.

I briefly registered the fact that Lily and Lauri had sometime joined us and were ushering us away from the scene. Remus and James joined us much later after Mr. Weasley had already returned.

Not only would the Quidditch World Cup stick out in our minds because of the game itself, but also because of the weird events that followed shortly after. It was a strange night for us all.

The conflict of where I would be staying for the rest of the summer only arose the next morning when we were preparing to go our separate ways. Mrs. Weasley, of course, sent an owl saying she would be happy to take me while Lily insisted that I come and stay with them.

Turns out, Mrs. Weasley is a hard one to deny when she sets her mind on something.

Harry, after begging and cajoling, came to stay at the Burrow with us. Rachel and Declan were also allowed to come and so we were packed like sardines in a can.

Percy Weasley, a very knowledgeable and yet annoying young man, was staying at the Burrow with us. He was currently working for the Ministry under none other than Barty Crouch. Needless to say, he thought himself very important.

He was really rather, well, irritating. He kept dropping hints about something big happening this year at Hogwarts. We found that it annoyed him greatly if we just ignored him.

The time to go back to Hogwarts came before any of us realized it and we were soon boarded on the Hogwarts Express, bound for another year at school.

This year would be like no other. Not only would it be a major turning point- as you will come to see- but the Triwizard Tournament was being held that year. However, there were a few changes such as only those that were seventeen or older could enter.

We also got a new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor- Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, an ex-Auror for the Ministry. He had an odd magical eye…but you would already know about that, wouldn't you? You do seem to know quite a lot.

Anyway, he was an odd and yet brilliant man who made some odd comments throughout the course of the year. His magical eyes unnerved me.

The two other schools participating soon showed up- Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. We- by that I mean Ron- were quite surprised when Viktor Krum walked in with the Durmstrang group. Apparently he was still a student there.

The Durmstrang group immediately took up with the Slytherins while the ladies from Beauxbatons chose to befriend Ravenclaw. Ron was a little disappointed on both accounts- Durmstrang because he lost Krum and Beauxbatons because of the ladies.

I assured him that he would, indeed, live.

Dumbledore explained the some of the conditions but he allowed Mr. Crouch to expand upon them. The latter looked a little worse for wear; it seemed at the time as if the loss of his house elf had caused him great distress.

I was amazed by the sudden competitiveness that took over the school. Houses were supporting those that entered simply because they wanted to beat the other schools. Of course no one really wanted a Slytherin to be our champion but we still would have supported them.

And so the students began to place their names into the Goblet of Fire. There were a few Gryffindors that we knew of who had placed their names into the Goblet, Angelina among them. Fred and George also tried despite the fact that they weren't seventeen and ended up sporting long white beards.

I cannot tell you how annoying it was to have Viktor Krum at Hogwarts. He appeared to have a special liking for the library meaning his Fan Club did too. I took to avoiding the library all together if I knew he was in there.

The day finally came to draw the names from the Goblet. As suspected, Viktor Krum was champion for Durmstrang while Fleur Delacour became the Beauxbatons champion. The third piece of parchment announced the Hogwarts champion to be Cedric Diggory.

And then the fourth slip came out.

Never in my life would I have expected to hear Harry's name being announced as the fourth champion. He didn't expect it either on that note. He looked back helplessly at me and Ron, the latter which was glaring at him slightly. I felt Declan and Rachel shift uneasily beside of me.

There was no way to break the bonding magical contract- Harry was a champion, whether he liked it or not.

I'll skip the tedious details and merely mention that Harry suffered greatly from this. The whole school- even Ron- didn't believe that he hadn't put his name in. A fight broke out before Potions one day- both Goyle and me becoming unwilling victims.

I, however, turned that slight indiscretion into a good thing, not that anyone would notice the slight change until much later. I allowed Madame Pomfrey to shrink my buckteeth.

Anyway, that isn't the point. The first task arrived sooner than any of us expected. Harry was going to have to face a real life dragon.

We prepared for it as much as possible but in the end he would have to rely totally on luck. He succeeded at the task and ended up in first place tied with Krum.

Ron, after that, realized that Harry would never willingly place himself in that type of danger- what sane person would? Then, we found out abut the Yule Ball.

Oh how the girls were excited and the boys were running scared, it was very amusing to watch. I was amazed when I got asked right away to the ball.

What? Hmm, you'll just have to wait till I get to that part to learn who.

Ron and Harry waited till the last moment to get a date like typical males. Harry, the poor dear, ended up asking Parvati while Ron took Padma after I turned him down. Honestly, he thought telling me that I was a girl would woo me.

The Yule Ball approached and we were each in a rush to find proper dress robes. Poor Ron, his mum sent him some from a second hand shop- it looked horrible! You should have seen him! For that alone I felt sorry for him.

I dressed with care that night, determined to prove that I was a girl in every manner possible. Harry and Ron merely saw me as their best friend, not as a girl.

I must say, I was quite pleased with the result.

I made my way down to the Great Hall and met my date- Viktor Krum. Surprised? I don't think anyone could quite believe he asked me actually- least of all me. Malfoy couldn't even manage to come up with a snide remark.

We danced- we twirled and we bowed, held each other's hand while the music played in the background. I felt as if I was at the top of the world at that moment and that every set of eyes were on me.

Ron was an arse.

I dismissed him though and began to thoroughly ignore him after that. If he couldn't manage to see that I was a girl beforehand then he need not bother now. Pish posh on him I say.

Anyway, the second task neared and Harry, in his typical male fashion, waited until the last moment to start working on the golden egg. Honestly, and he wonders why I'm so stressed all the time. With friends like him to worry me, it's a wonder I haven't had a heart attack by now.

…Do wizards have heart attacks?

Oh, never mind. Anyways, Rachel and I were called into McGonagall's office the night before the task and they put a charm on us! Can you believe them? They put a charm on us and stuck us in the lake. Oh. Joy.

I was Viktor's person while Rachel was Harry's. However, Harry being the heroic person that he can't help but be, waited down below until everyone had been saved, even going as far as to save Fleur's little sister.

The prat had to go and show moral fibre…

He was still tied for first only this time with Cedric Diggory. And so we only had to wait for the third and final task to arrive before this whole ordeal would be over.

Barty Crouch would end up dying…his body emerging from the Forbidden Forest before the final task in front of Viktor and Harry. Even though Harry went to retrieve the Headmaster, it wasn't enough. Someone struck Viktor and killed Mr. Crouch.

Harry told us little of the events that happened but we knew something was bothering him, something big. We forgot all about it, though, when Lily and James suddenly showed up one day and spent it with us. Turns out, all the family members of the champions had been invited.

I only know little of what happened in the maze. You probably have heard much more than me since you are able to move freely about without much notice. However, I do know that Voldemort returned to his body with the aid of Peter Pettigrew and Cedric had been slain.

Harry seemed uneasy and I know he probably had every right to be. Professor Moody was really Barty Crouch Jr. and the real Mad-Eye was locked away in the trunk. We had all been deceived.

I guess you have heard what followed. The Minister didn't believe- didn't want to believe- that Voldemort was truly back. There seemed to be a tension in the air until Dumbledore finally told him that their ways were parting as of that moment.

I didn't really listen to most of it, my eyes were on something else, something I my suspicions about since earlier in the year. Rita Skeeter, a foul and undermining journalist, was an illegal animagus and I caught her. Oh yes, perfect revenge for all the manipulative articles she ran throughout the course of the year.

I, being just as undermining and manipulative as she, blackmailed her.

Sweet, sweet revenge.

Anyways, Viktor asked me- very sweetly I might add- to come to Bulgaria to visit him during the summer. I really didn't know what to say.

Sure, I liked him, quite a bit actually, but I really couldn't see myself with him in the long run. We were just too different for each other and not in that "opposites attract" sort of way either.

He irritated me somewhat- always watching me studying, wanting to just constantly touch me, to know that I was his alone. I, in my naïve ignorance, wanted the freedom that he couldn't provide.

And so I promised to keep in touch without any signed contract to come and visit him. If the opportunity presented itself, I might have, but who knows?

I never will and as the summer came, I wouldn't regret a single decision on my part.

**A/N: So, you may have noticed that she's telling her story to someone. Anyone want to wager a guess as to WHO?**

**MiZZ AmAyA**


	6. Year Five

**Disclaimer: The only thing in my possession at this moment is an empty water bottle and two kissing fishies who are too cute to even describe (amaya and rabastan)... so no, I do not own Harry Potter...can you believe it, she finished the seventh book before I finished my stories? sigh.**

**Year Five (The Dreaded Year)**

I would barely settle into my life at home before an unexpected visitor would show up on my doorstep. I, as luck would have it, just happened to be at the store at the time.

Mum was completely bumfuzzled by the strange man who introduced himself as an 'acquaintance' and asked to speak to me. She, in her stunned state, allowed him entrance.

When I returned, I was greeted at the door by the still shocked face of my mum. Apparently she had been unable to get a decent answer out of the visitor.

Now, you have heard my accounts of my past dealings with wizards and you know that some I have come to know more than others. I suspected someone I knew personally…

I was wrong.

Now, I wouldn't deny that I knew the person waiting on the other side of the doorway, but I didn't know him as well as I did others simply because there wasn't much of a chance.

Sirius….

"Hermione," he said in way of acknowledgement as I entered the room. He had rose from the couch like a perfect gentleman and bowed his head just a bit.

"Si…er…Mr. Black," I stuttered. Truth be told, I was quite unsure as to what to call him. Everyone else was at ease with him but I barely knew him.

He grinned and I was instantly disarmed. "Sirius," he corrected and I immediately relaxed. I don't know why, but I felt comfortable with him.

I shook my head once, twice, aware that my mum had come to stand behind me. "What are you doing here?" I finally managed to ask him.

"Albus sent me to retrieve you," he answered promptly. He glanced at my mum and I knew he really didn't want to discuss anything in front of her. After all, it may prompt her to prevent me from going back to the wizarding world.

I turned to her, my childish smile on my face to disarm her, and said as sweetly as humanly possible, "Mum, do you think it possible for me to get a moment alone with Sirius? Please?"

My mum grudgingly nodded and exited the room, shutting the door as she went. I figured we had about twenty minutes before she would come back.

"What's happened?" I asked anxiously. In truth, I was scared that something happened to Harry or someone else that I knew.

"Nothing really," he answered somewhat reluctantly. "He just wants you in the wizarding world where you can be looked after closely."

"Oh."

He stepped closer and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I know this is sudden and he didn't give you much warning, but he really does have your best interests at heart."

I stood there and looked at him, really looked at him. There was something shining beneath those grey eyes, something that he was desperately trying to hide from me.

In that instant, I made a decision.

"Alright," I agreed with a nod of my head. He seemed a bit shock by my obvious trust in his words. "I just need to go pack my things and say bye to my parents."

He followed me to the kitchen where I found my mum standing by the sink, just standing there with her hands in the soapy water. She looked at me with sad eyes and I realized that she had already concluded what Sirius was here for.

"How soon must you be going?" she asked before I even had a chance to say anything.

I turned to Sirius for an answer and he said, "We aren't expected until later this evening. Albus figured she'd want to spend a bit of time with you."

"Then you must stay for dinner," she said as she wiped her hands on a towel, not giving him a chance to refute or say that he would come back later. "Mike will be home in a bit and I'm sure you two will get along fabulously."

I watched nervously as he opened his mouth, sure that he was going to protest, but to my surprise he didn't. With an evaluating look in my direction, he said, "I'd love to. Thank you."

And so I finally had a chance to see Sirius Black in a relaxed environment. He was so polite and charming…oh gods, his grey eyes were amazing.

He took me back to the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, which he told me was a secret organization put together to fight against Voldemort. He also informed me that the house was technically his since his mum had died. Looked like he doesn't visit it too often.

Dumbledore greeted me upon my entrance and it took me a moment or two to register that Sirius had disappeared. I felt…disappointed.

The Weasleys were staying here as well. I was given a room towards the top of the house, the room next to mine remained vacant…or so I thought.

The Potters and Lupins popped by occasionally, staying for a couple of nights before returning to their respective homes. I particularly liked those times for there is only so much of Ron that I could take at a time before wanting to pull my hair out.

Lily came over to pick me up to go shopping for my school supplies. I was grateful that I was allowed to do my own shopping this year instead of someone else doing it for me- which Mrs. Weasley had suggested.

And so the time to return to Hogwarts arrived and I discovered that I was a prefect as was Ron. I admit, I was a bit surprised that Harry wasn't chosen- I think he was as well.

Anyways, Mrs. Weasley insisted on hosting a party for us, inviting most of the Order. I felt a bit uncomfortable among all of them, but the giddiness I felt at being a prefect overrode that.

One person who was not in attendance was Sirius Black. He hadn't been around since he had delivered me to the Headquarters. The uneasy feeling began to creep up on me again as I noticed the adults shift constantly, shooting me furtive glances.

Finally it was time to make our way back to Hogwarts. Oh what a hectic time… It was hilarious, really. Everyone was running about frantically as we packed our stuff- the adults were smart and stayed down below to avoid the chaos.

Ron and I dismissed ourselves upon boarding the Hogwarts Express, journeying to the front to the prefect's compartment to join in on the meeting. I was anxious to get back to the others, though I was perfectly content with my new duties.

Ron was mad.

Draco Malfoy had been one of the Slytherins selected as prefect. I was surprised. During the previous year I had the opportunity to meet Blaise Zabini when we were assigned to work with each other on a project. He was rather smart and I just naturally assumed that he would take on the role as prefect. I was wrong.

I remember now that I used to love Defence Against the Dark Arts, really I did. That is until I met our new DADA professor- Professor Dolores Umbridge. She was a nasty old troll really. Actually, she looked more like a toad…

Anyway, her and Harry automatically disliked each other. No, dislike isn't strong enough; they _hated _each other with an intense passion. They were constantly snapping at each other during class.

You see, Umbridge worked for the Ministry- who at the moment opposed Dumbledore- and so she constantly made little snide remarks implying that both Dumbledore and Harry were delusional for believing that Voldemort was back.

Harry, of course, took offence to this and from what I've been hearing, so did Rachel as she was constantly seen in detention with the horrid woman.

Harry was constantly in detention as well though his punishment was far worse than merely having to be Umbridge's personal slave- as Rachel proved to be. The words were becoming engraved in his hand for longer than what they were when he first began copying lines. I only hoped that by the time he learned to control his temper that they wouldn't permanently be there.

Our one consolation, though, was the fact that McGonagall seemed to utterly hate the old hag. She didn't cover the fact that she found the woman completely incompetent. I applauded her little snaky comments to the toad.

Something had to be done, though. No one was learning anything in DADA since she was merely sticking to the book. She wouldn't allow us to practice anything which I thought was a complete waste of time. How were we supposed to learn?

What? Oh yes, she did try to move her way up. That woman was horrible and I think everyone hated her. Well, everyone except for Filch.

We decided to start our own little Defence class with Harry teaching us. However, we had to do it in secret since Umbridge seemed to find out about it and tried to have it banned. Nasty old hag…

We secretly met in the Room of Requirement using these little coins that I charmed to allow us to know when to meet. I felt quite proud of myself actually.

Anyway, the Christmas holidays soon came and we all were anxious to get out of that school and away from _her._ I needed a break as did everyone else.

We returned to the Headquarters though I secretly wanted to go and visit my family. It seemed the further I immersed myself into the wizarding world, the more withdrawn I was from my parents. I didn't quite like the feeling.

I was surprised when they looked at me as if I completely gone crazy when I requested to go and visit my parents for a day. Honestly, it was like I was asking to go to the moon.

However, Lily laid her hand on my shoulder and merely said, "We'll see."

That gave me a bit of hope.

But with each passing day, I got the feeling that they were putting it off in hope that I would forget my request. I didn't, though, and soon repeated my request. It was Remus this time, though that said, "We'll see."

Oh how I hated those two words. I admit I was sorely tempted to just leave and go on my own but I knew that I would get in a lot of trouble if I did so. They were only trying to protect us after all.

It was the day before Christmas that I overheard the conversation. I honestly hadn't meant to stumble upon them, but as I heard my name mentioned, I found myself frozen to the spot.

"Remus, how many times do I have to tell you…"

"Come on, Padfoot, Hermione only wants to see her family for a day," came James' pleading voice. "You could at least take her over there for a day…"

"James," Sirius' voice said curtly, "no."

"Why are you so against it?" I heard Remus ask. "Why can't you just do this…"

"You lot manipulated me into doing it once," was the dark haired man's harsh response. "I admit, I was a bit curious and so I agreed, but there is no way in hell that you'll get me to escort her again. I've moved past the past."

"Have you?" James retorted.

"Enough James," he said in a low growl. "You can badger me all you want but I will not take Hermione to her house for Christmas. If you guys want to spend time with her, then you take her. Leave me out of it."

I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt. I was aware of the tears in my eyes and I really didn't want them to see me so I slipped easily into the shadows. I made my way back to my room where I locked the door and cried myself to sleep for the first time in years.

The next morning I remained reserved. I kept mostly to myself even when we were opening presents. Honestly I didn't care at the moment.

I dimly remember Remus coming up to me and asking me if I still wanted to return to my parents. I looked at him with empty eyes and replied, "No, I wouldn't want to put anyone out."

And then I had stood and walked from the room, aware of everyone's eyes following me. The werewolf came up later with a frown on his face as he set down on my bed, staring at me with his amber eyes.

"You heard, didn't you?" was all he asked.

"Yes," I replied with a slight shrug of my shoulders. I didn't want him to think that I cared too much, though I did.

"Look, there are some things you won't understand for a while about Sirius," he attempted to say in the other man's defence but I didn't want to hear it. I held up my hand to stop him, merely asking him to give me some time alone.

He complied.

I continued to remain aloof and stuck to my friends, ignoring most of the grownups when they tried to talk to me to explain Sirius' actions. I didn't want excuses, but maybe I was just being selfish.

No, I didn't take time to listen to them and I know that I should have. I guess I was just hurt and I wanted privacy to lick my wounds. Stupid, I know.

We returned to Hogwarts and I threw myself into my work. The DA (Dumbledore's Army) was going great. We were really progressing well.

It wasn't till towards the end of the year that things began to really take a turn for the worse. A girl who had signed up for DA ratted us out, but she got her due for it. I, you see, charmed the roster and she now had SNEAK across her forehead.

Harry was caught, though, but he and Dumbledore played the innocents. They pretended as if they didn't know what she was accusing them of, a good move really.

Umbridge was a bit smart, though. She managed to get proof- by that she got the roster- out of the Room of Requirement. It was incriminating, I admit.

Harry told me later how Dumbledore took full responsibility and the Ministry then attempted to arrest him. However, no one ever said that Dumbledore would be an easy one to catch.

Dumbledore escaped, Umbridge declared herself the Headmistress- which all of us naturally hated- and we were once again unable to learn properly in DADA. Fred and George particularly hated the woman.

They decided to get a little revenge while Harry attempted to contact his folks via the floo network. What they did…wow.

I can remember seeing you down there so I know you know what happened. You were with…oh, who was it? Yes, that's the name.

It was funny, wasn't it? Especially when they took off on their brooms, instructing Peeves to "give her hell." I still smile at the memory.

What we found more hilarious than anything, though, was the fact that Umbridge was unable to gain entrance to the Headmaster's office. Poor woman just wasn't getting any breaks…

It was while we were high up on the Astronomy tower doing our OWLS that we saw something horrible and unjust. Umbridge was trying to dismiss Hagrid from his duties when McGonagall joined the fray. She ended up taking quite a bit of stunners to the chest.

We were all horrified at the sight; even the administrator of the test was unable to say anything for a few minutes except for the occasional sputtering. How dare she?

Soon after, Harry had the vision. This would be the second one, his first one came just before Christmas when he saw an Order member attacked by Voldemort's snake, Nagini. Mr. Weasley had been scheduled to take that shift but something had come up at the last minute, preventing him from being there for which we were all thankful.

This vision showed Voldemort and Sirius in the Department of Mysteries. Voldemort was torturing Sirius for information and, when I was told, I experienced two emotions.

First, my heart felt as if it was about to crumble. An odd feeling considering I was still miffed at him about his comments at Christmas. The second was doubt. I wondered whether the vision was real and said as much.

Harry wouldn't listen.

We had to throw off Umbridge first, though, since she seemed to find out about our scheming. She was even going to perform an Unforgivable to get us to talk.

The stupid woman actually believed me when I started rambling about a weapon. She instructed me to lead her to it along with a few others. Needless to say, she got her due when she was carried off by the Centaurs. It was only Hagrid's half-brother, Grawp that managed to save us from the same fate though.

We soon found ourselves on the back of Thestrals- horse like creatures that you could only see if you have seen death. Oddly enough, I could see the creatures. I couldn't recall a single moment in my life that I had seen death…

We rode to the Ministry and easily gained entrance. That should have been the first red flag. No one was there, the place was completely empty.

We ended up having to try a few rooms before gaining entrance to the right room. Little spheres lined the numerous shelves filling the room.

We continued walking down the aisle, searching for the one in which Harry had seen in his vision. There was nothing there.

We walked and walked until finally Neville spoke up. "Hey Harry, that's you're name."

We all stopped and turned towards the small sphere that had Harry's name on it along with Voldemort's. I felt a little uneasy about the whole situation. The whole thing was just too orchestrated to be a coincidence.

"Harry," I said a bit uneasily as he reached for it. He turned and gave me a small smile. "It has my name on it," was his reasoning, "it can't be that bad."

Oh but it was.

The moment Harry picked it up from the shelf, Death Eaters appeared behind us. They wanted the sphere and insisted on Harry handing it over. He, however, refused to hand it over until they showed him that Sirius was alright.

It was then that I noticed her.

She had long black hair and a sickly looking face. She was concentrating on Harry and I could only assume that she hadn't noticed me. There was something familiar about her…

Sirius wasn't in the Ministry, it had all been a set up so that Voldemort could get the little sphere Harry now held. However, he wouldn't hand it over, seemingly understanding its importance.

That was when we started to fight back.

We struggled against them and even managed to get separated, but we fought with all we had. We weren't about to give in at that moment.

Dolohov tried to throw a curse at me even when he was silenced but I luckily managed to block it. Some extra defence seemed to kick in and I found myself performing spells I never tried before, only read about.

Harry, Neville, and I stumbled into the mysterious room with a veil, desperately trying to escape the Death Eaters that were following us. Malfoy Sr. entered along with the strange woman. There were many compared to our three.

We were outnumbered.

We held them off as long as possible and then, by some chance of fate, the Order showed up. I noticed both of Harry's folks, along with Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. They began to duel the Death Eaters while the three of us tried to escape.

While Harry and Neville were struggling with some Death Eaters, I happened to look over my shoulder to see an awful sight. Sirius and the woman were dueling.

It was then that I remembered who she was- her picture had been in the Daily Prophet earlier in the year. Her name was Bellatrix LeStrange, formally Bellatrix Black, an escaped Death Eater from Azkaban.

I watched in horror as the two dueled ferociously, shooting curse after curse at each other. I didn't even know I was moving until I stood near them.

Sirius was taunting her, making her angry. She struck, he was hit. And then she moved forward to follow through and end his life.

I don't know why I did it really, I just did. I was overcome with this powerful urge to save him and I knew that I couldn't let him die. I felt so helpless that I didn't want him to die.

I jumped in front of him right as she shot the spell, throwing my arms out as I tried to bring up a shield but I was too late. The spell struck me and all I knew from that point on was darkness.

I woke up in the Infirmary two days later with a splitting headache and my whole torso feeling as if someone was standing on it. It hurt.

I tried to turn my head but found that I couldn't gather up enough strength to do so. And so I just lay there, desperately trying to wet my lips so that I could call out to someone… anyone.

I don't know how much time actually went by before anyone actually found me awake. I was aware that it had been dark when I had actually awoken but now the sunlight was streaming in through the window.

McGonagall was the first one to find me trying to move.

She rushed to my bed with tears in her catlike eyes. Her hand sought out mine in a motherly sort of gesture and I tried dreadfully to smile at her. She smiled through her tears.

"You're awake," she had whispered almost to herself. Then, aware of the situation, she turned and called to the nurse, "Poppy! She's awake!"

I heard the sound of many pairs of footsteps rushing towards the bed and I could see the eyes of Harry and Ron along with Madame Pomfrey.

"Goodness child, you gave us quite the scare," she chastised me as she moved forward to check me over. "I wager you're sore."

She looked at me for an answer and I could only manage this pathetic look in my eyes begging for some potion to help me recuperate faster. I hated pain then and I still hate it now.

Harry filled me in on what exactly happened while Madame Pomfrey continued to shove potions down my throat. Slowly, I began to feel the effects and I was finally able to move some of my muscles without feeling as if I was ripping myself apart.

"Is he okay?" was the first thing I managed to whisper and I was met with confusion. That is until Dumbledore stepped forward out of the shadows.

"Yes, Miss Granger, he is fine. He wasn't able to apprehend Bellatrix Black, though." His blue eyes softened as they met mine. "That was quite a thing you did, sacrificing yourself for him."

I looked away, tears filling my eyes as I shut them to the world. I knew the others had questions for me, had stuff they wanted to tell me, but I didn't want to hear at the moment. I just wanted to close my eyes and allow sleep to take me on a peaceful journey.

I was released another two days later and I was amazed by the change over the school. The Minister had been forced to admit Voldemort's return and so Harry wasn't thought a lunatic anymore. For that I was happy.

I separated myself from my friends for a bit right after my release. I didn't tell them, but I was quite disturbed. During my stay in the Infirmary, odd images had flashed in my mind, striking a cord deep inside me but I couldn't place them…they seemed so familiar.

It was while I was sitting on a small incline a little ways away from the school that he found me. I had been lost in my thoughts for some time but I was instantly aware of the exact moment when he sat beside of me.

We were silent for a while as we stared at the castle from a distant, each of us lost in our own train of thought. Finally, he said, "I owe you an apology."

I looked at him. Right then, I didn't know what he was talking about. I felt so empty that I really didn't care about one thing or another. However, I was curious. "About what?"

He shifted uneasily as he turned his head so that his grey eyes met mine. "Remus told me that you heard our conversation at Christmas." I turned away. "I apologize. I was way out of line with what I said and I…"

I held up my hand even as I became aware of the hot sting of tears in my eyes. "It's alright, I understand." I paused as I took a deep breath. "I…er…don't know what I did to upset you so but I am sorry. I didn't do it intentionally."

He stared at me as if I had grown another head. "What?"

I smiled weakly. "Obviously I did something to make you not want to be around me and so I apologize for that. It wasn't my intention to upset you in any way. However, I don't think you should be avoiding your godchildren just because I'm friends with them. If it becomes a problem I'll go somewhere else…maybe stay home."

I went to rise, embarrassed by my own words, but he caught my hand, stopping me before I could even turn away. "You didn't do anything, Hermione, it was all me. I am the one that should be begging for your forgiveness. I was rude and I didn't even give you a chance."

"Why?" I forced myself to ask even as I felt a tear run down my cheek.

I heard him sigh and watched out of the corner of my eye as he ran a shaky hand through his hair. "I really have no excuse actually, none that would make sense to you."

We sat there for another minute or two before I realized my hand was still in his. Oddly enough, it felt…_right_. There really is no other word for it. I stared at my hand in his, enjoying the sensation of it all.

"Thank you," he whispered. Before I could ask, he went on, "Thank you for being willing to die for me."

I smiled and he smiled back. Maybe we everything would be alright. Maybe the world wouldn't change so much in the days to come. Maybe…

There are too many maybes in this world. Once upon a time I thought that perhaps I could live a normal life but now I know differently. But even as I face what seems to be my ultimate death, I do not regret a moment of it.

After all, one has to sacrifice to save.

**A/N: Okay, so I dropped a few hints within the chapter to who she was speaking to AND I will say that only ONE of you guessed it. Not telling though... Like how I nicely avoided the whole 'death' scene? Boo-yah, he's alive.**

**Much Love,**

**MiZZ AmAyA**


	7. Year Six

**DISCLAIMER: If I was JK, I would totally write a 'Harry naked' scene for my own viewing pleasure...ehem, moving on, I do not own it.**

**Year Six**

This year will be a little hard for me to explain, my friend, just to give you a little warning. Yes, it is the most recent in my life but there were so many things happening at once that I often found myself lost in the giant colour scheme.

I will try, though, to explain most of the events in detail from how I experienced them. Not all of them appear clear to me even know when I think back to them.

I see I am jumping the gun a bit so to speak. What? Oh, that's a muggle expression. A silly one, actually now that I stop to think about it…

Anyways, back to the story.

I arrived home from my fifth year of Hogwarts to utter chaos. The house was literally in an uproar. Apparently my great aunt on my father's side and my cousin- twice removed- had decided to descend upon the house unexpectedly.

Translation: the house was in dire need of cleaning and the refrigerator had yet to be stocked.

My mum looked at me with a begging sort of expression and I knew immediately what she wanted me to do. I sighed and gathered my coat and change purse to run to the store a little way away to stock up on groceries.

The mist, I noticed on my walk, was settling around the ground rather early and this for some reason unsettled me. I knew in the very core of my being that this phenomenon was related to magic in some way.

I found out later that I was right on that guess.

Anyway, I was rather twitchy during my walk, always keeping my hand near my wand which I had stashed in my pocket at the last minute. I felt a lot safer with it there then I would without it. True, I wasn't supposed to use magic but I wasn't going to let myself be taken or killed either.

As I approached the small store, I noticed the nearly vacated lot and panic started to set in. I had waited till very late to come and darkness was now descending upon me.

I quickly scurried on in the store and breathed a sigh of relief. I know, I was being rather silly but during times like these, one can never be _too_ cautious.

Mr. Brockenbutter who owned and manned the store himself smiled at me kindly as I took another shaky step forward. The last customer shoved past me leaving only me and the old store owner. Forgive me if I didn't feel safe at all.

I hastily picked up one of the small carts and made my way down the aisle, picking up random packages that I knew my mum could turn into a gourmet meal. I knew I was probably forgetting something as I made my way up to the checkout- actually, I knew I was forgetting something- but I wanted to get home before it got _too_ dark.

But I'm afraid fate doesn't always want to work out for me.

I turned my head as something caught my gaze and instantly froze. Why me, is the question I continue to ask myself even to this day.

It appeared that Lord Voldemort had a penchant for attacking muggle businesses and that night he had chosen to attack Mr. Brockenbutter's small store. I would by lying if I said I wasn't terrified. True, Voldemort himself wasn't there, but that didn't stop me from being scared of the twenty something Death Eaters that were now bearing down on us.

"Run," I advised the storekeeper in a deadly whisper. "Run as fast and as far as you can."

The old bugger didn't even stick around to see if I was following. I turned after a slight hesitation, though, and followed his path out of the back of the store. I heard their steady footsteps following my path.

I ran into a dark alleyway. I know, I know, not my best choice but I really only had one plan at the moment- get the hell out of there.

It's true what they say, you know, which I guess you would. When you are faced with possible death, events long forgotten come to the forefront of your mind. But oddly enough, it wasn't events that I had experienced that came to my mind.

I saw flashes of strange people, young people who appeared to be my friends. Young people who I didn't know and yet they seemed so familiar. I saw black swirling in front of me as well as different colours of spells flashing from every direction.

Arms descended around me, catching me in a painful grasp.

"Didn't think you'd get too far, did you girly?" a man whispered wickedly in my ear.

I twisted in his arms as I tried to break free. My mind was screaming at me to fight, to live. For what I didn't know. But those flashes remained at the forefront of my mind and it was for the knowledge of what lay behind them that I fought.

"LET HER GO!"

I opened my eyes to the new voice and quietly rejoiced in the sight that I met. Thirty Aurors were bearing down on the Death Eaters surrounding me.

Thank Merlin for small miracles.

I saw James and Sirius among them, their wands pointed directly at the Death Eater holding me. It was Sirius who had yelled the order and it was he who was now advancing, backed by the others.

The Death Eater who grip I was in was preoccupied by judging his chances at continuing to hold me captive while facing the Aurors and so I took the opportunity to strike out at him.

He wasn't expecting the kick in the shins, nor the elbow in the gut come to think of it. I was able to break free from him and run straight into the arms of James who shielded me from harm.

"I see she hasn't trained fully yet," one of the robed figures said as he stepped out in front of the Death Eaters. He stood calmly, his wand held down at his side as if he could careless about standing in front of the Aurors.

"Go back to your master," Sirius warned, his wand now directed at the figure standing before the rest.

"Have you told her yet, Black?" the figure continued and I could see the mocking smile showing beneath the mask. He cocked his head slightly as if in thought. "No, I guess you wouldn't tell her, would you?"

Sirius' knuckles began to go white as he gripped his wand. "Leave now or die."

With mocking laughter, they disappeared one by one, leaving me shaking in James' arms and wondering what the Death Eater could have meant. Sirius turned and lowered his wand, his grey eyes connecting with mine.

"You will return to the Burrow for the duration of the summer holidays," he spoke briskly. "I will go to your home to inform your parents and collect your stuff."

"Please," I said as I stepped forward, "let me to go with you. I want to say goodbye to my parents." Then I remembered my task. "Oh no, I forgot the groceries."

That started James chuckling. When Sirius threw him a look, he held up his hands. "What? It's funny. The girl just got attacked and she's worrying about groceries."

Slowly, the other Aurors started laughing as well while I merely stood there with an exasperated look on my face and Sirius glared at his best friend.

"James, take her back to her home while I go and talk to Dumbledore," Sirius finally stated firmly, holding no room for argument.

"But you just said…"

"James, just go."

I went with James and after some tears, we were soon on our way to the Burrow where I would be staying for the rest of the summer. Declan came by most days to visit with me, mainly when I wrote to him begging for a new book to read.

Sometimes we travelled to Order Headquarters for a time while the adults held a meeting. I hung back with Fred and George- though I really don't know what possessed me to do so- and learnt a bit about their business which was apparently booming.

I got to see the store when we travelled to Diagon Alley to shop for our school supplies. It was amazing- though I refused to admit it out loud.

Mrs. Weasley rushed us through our shopping. I dimly missed Harry's presence. Mrs. Weasley informed us that they were planning on shopping another day along with the Lupins.

I didn't see Harry the whole time during my stay at the Burrow, not even when we went to the Headquarters. Both of the elder Potters were there along with Rachel so I could only wonder where Harry was at.

We returned to Hogwarts soon and I was relieved to see Harry standing with his parents in the crowd. I know it sounds silly, but I was beginning to imagine all these horrible scenarios in which he was severely injured and in the hospital.

Stupid, but I never claimed to have common sense.

While on the train, Harry told us of the private sessions he had had during the summer with Dumbledore. Apparently, the Headmaster was tutoring him in certain areas but felt that this needed to be done in secret.

He also told us of the time he met our new professor at the time that the letters arrived from said person. Professor Horace Slughorn was to be a professor at Hogwarts this year in what we _assumed_ was the Defence Against the Dark Arts position.

Professor Slughorn invited a select few of us- Harry, Ginny, Rachel, and myself- down to his _private_ compartment for a chat and some food. Ron and Declan, I noticed, appeared a bit put out about not receiving an invitation.

Something about the man irked me at first glance. I can't really say what it was but I felt deep down as if I was _supposed_ to dislike him. I didn't really understand it; I didn't know him at all after all.

He glanced at me once, twice, and then a third time, his mouth slightly open as if in shock. I gave an indignant huff and turned to leave when Harry caught my arm.

"Don't leave me," he whispered pleadingly.

I nodded mutely and turned back towards the group, a small smile on my lips as I joined the small crowd who, I noticed, were the elite of Hogwarts. There were the brains- myself included-and the celebrity students- whether they were celebrities themselves like Harry or related to someone famous.

Ginny received her invitation because Slughorn just happened to be passing by when she preformed a rather skilled hex.

I somehow managed to avoid one-on-one contact with Slughorn during the trip, I still don't know how since he even managed to corner Rachel who was a slippery one when she wanted to be.

Harry and I slipped out when no one was looking, quickly running back to our compartment where we preceded to slouch low in our seats. It wasn't that Slughorn wasn't a nice man- he was too nice actually- it was just that we sensed that he wanted something out of us.

What? Oh, really? He was a professor at Hogwarts before, a good time ago. Someone said he retired shortly after they graduated. I think it was Lauri that was telling me that.

You remember him well then? I know that as the year progressed he was exactly as I feared. And he had that dreadful portrait of himself that he kept posted for us to gain entrance to that one room for the 'secret' meetings.

Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be laughing but he visited you? That's classic. Visiting the famous everywhere now, isn't he?

Anyway, during the whole ride, I could tell that something was bothering Harry. He would occasionally drift off in his own thoughts and would then jump when one of us poked him. Then, what seemed to be more bizarre behaviour, he kept glancing out of the compartment door when someone would near as if expecting someone.

I said nothing of this though.

Harry disappeared before the train arrived at the station. We looked around uneasily but still got off the train and selected one of the carriages. We were packed but we managed to get all five of us in without Harry- which would have really squeezed us in.

Harry wasn't even in the Great hall when the first years stepped through the doors. We discovered later that he had been spying on Draco Malfoy- who he suspected of being a Death Eater- when Malfoy had discovered and attacked him. Tonks had been the one to find him.

Imagine our intense surprise when we discovered that Slughorn was going to be the Potions professor. It appeared as if Snape had finally received his deepest wish by gaining the DADA position- a class we all now dreaded.

Since Slughorn was now the Potions instructor, Harry was able to add Potions to his list of classes. Though he didn't have a book, Slughorn soon remedied that.

That was how we came to know the Half-Blood Prince.

The book which Harry now had in his possession was marked as the property of the Half-Blood Prince. It had some rather helpful hints in the margins that enabled Harry to brew a potion sometimes better than mine.

Yes, I resented that.

I was cautious of this figure, after all, this wasn't the first time we were in the possession of a book that talked or rather told us stuff. Tom Riddle's diary had not been a good thing and I was certain this book wasn't either.

But Harry was determined to keep it since it helped him get a far better grade in Potions.

Throughout the year, Harry maintained his belief that Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater and sometimes I couldn't help but believe him. However, he was obsessed with this idea and I was afraid that one day he might do something rash.

Ron made the Quidditch team after being challenged for the Keeper position. Harry fed him some luck potion, or made him believe he did when he really didn't. I was proud of Harry for that little bout of trickery; it made Ron believe in himself.

Ron hooked up with Lavender at some point, I'm not sure. One part of me told me that I should be angry, but the other part really didn't care. I wanted to like him, I knew it was expected of me to like him, but every time I closed my eyes it wasn't his eyes that I saw.

Slughorn's Christmas party came up and really I couldn't have cared less. But it was expected of us all to attend, plus Harry wouldn't let me get out of going.

I didn't even bother with a date. My plan was to go in, make an appearance, and get out of there as fast as I could. However, as I discovered a long time ago, fate likes to play little games with me.

Slughorn cornered me.

The man is nearly impossible to get away from once he captures you. He's like a spider. He waits until you get near and then he pounces, trapping you in his web where you can't escape.

I thank Merlin for the fact that some famous man drifted by nearly half an hour later, capturing Slughorn's attention. I took the opportunity and promptly slipped away.

After that, I can't really say anything of great importance happened. Harry trained with Dumbledore on some secret mission. He also ended up somewhat dating Ginny. They were together but not 'together' if you know what I mean. It was an odd arrangement.

Ron and Lavender were hot and heavy for each other. Basically everyone was avoiding any room they were occupying for fear of seeing something they really didn't want to see. I was one of the unfortunate souls that happened to walk in on them one day.

What? You too? I know it's not funny, well, actually it's hilarious. I feel your pain.

Anyway, it was nearing March when I happened to overhear a very interesting conversation between the Headmaster and Snape. I didn't mean to, of course, I just happened to be in the wrong place and I couldn't move without alerting them to my presence.

"I don't care how much you pressure me Albus, I'm not doing it!"

"Severus, I'm not asking you, I'm telling you that if it comes down to it, you have to."

"I assure you, I don't."

"You know the consequences if you don't." There was a sigh then, a pronounced one as if the maker was settled on his fate. "I wouldn't ask this of you Severus if I knew any other way. Indeed, you must remain alive…"

"I came to you a long time ago Albus and gave you my reasons. I thought you accepted them. I murdered one person, not directly but I might as well have. Don't ask me to do this."

There was a pause and I strained to hear the next words, softly spoken though they were firm. "I'm afraid that you're going to have to do this in the end."

Their voices drifted off as they walked away and I was left to wonder what they were talking about. What was Dumbledore asking Snape to do that could invoke that kind of reaction from the formable Potions Master?

I agree, it was very strange but it was a mystery and I love a good mystery. And so I set out to discover the meaning behind their words.

I found out too late.

It was at the end of the year that all hell broke loose….literally. Harry had left with Dumbledore on one of their secret missions. There was tension in the air, something was about to happen.

Death Eaters invaded the school.

I was terrified. Hogwarts was supposed to be impenetrable and yet the Death Eaters were inside of the castle. The Dark Mark loomed over the Astronomy Tower.

I couldn't tell you all that happened for I was not a witnessed to it. I know from Harry though that he and Dumbledore returned to the castle immediately and went to investigate the Dark Mark. They were tricked, though, and Dumbledore froze Harry.

Draco was assigned to kill Dumbledore but it was Snape who completed the task in the end. Only when Dumbledore fell to the ground dead did the curse lift off Harry and he was able to move once again.

Dumbledore was dead and Harry sought revenge.

Harry retold the story to us once, his words filled with venom as he spoke of our ex-professor. I had trouble wrapping my mind around it, even more trouble believing it.

Why?

It just didn't make any sense. Why didn't Snape kill Harry while he had the chance instead of merely warning him and taunting him? Was there some extra purpose behind it all?

Each of us was lost in our own problems as parents flocked the school. Bill Weasley had been attacked by Fenir Greyback, though Remus assured the Weasleys that he would only have wolfish tendencies since Greyback hadn't been in wolf form. His fiancée (and you might have trouble believing this), Fleur Delacour, stood by him the whole time. I guess I had to admire her for that, right?

I spotted James and Lily hovering about once or twice. They always seemed to have Harry standing beside of them as if protecting him in a way. Rachel wasn't too far off, though.

Once Lily looked up and her gaze clashed with mine. I saw worry there. I didn't know what to make of it or why she would be worried about me, but I knew that there was something going on that I didn't know about.

The funeral of Albus Dumbledore took place soon after. I sat beside of Ron and Harry, Declan taking the seat on my other side. We watched quietly as Hagrid carried the immobile form of the late Headmaster up the aisle and to the casket.

I didn't cry. I wanted to, but I didn't. I don't think Dumbledore wanted my tears.

When it was all over, the three of us rose simultaneously, drawing some attention to us. We all turned and walked away from the scene, away from the funeral.

Harry had earlier called it quits with Ginny. He was trying to be noble, but I knew that he was hurting inside. He was in love with her even if he didn't want to admit it.

We stood by the lake for a long time before Scrimgeour, the new minister, joined us. Once again he was after Harry to be the poster child for the Ministry.

Harry refused.

We left the Minister standing there with a frown upon his face and just walked around for a bit. "What next?" I finally found the courage to ask.

"I go after the Horcruxes," Harry answered automatically.

Ron and I shared a look before smiling at him. "You mean 'we'," we both corrected him, causing a slight tilt of the lips on Harry's part.

"We," he agreed.

**Next Chapter: You find out who she's talking to and your guys' answers are funny but I love them all**

**Much Love,**

**MiZZ AmAyA**


	8. Epilogue

**DISCLAIMER: Still don't own it...**

**ATTENTION: Two notices: If you wish to be on the email list, please tell me now so I can add you and tell you when the third part, Whispers of Tomorrow, is posted and updated. Yes, it will be out soon folks! **

**Congrats to the three people that correctly guessed the person she was talking to: RJ Lupin's Kat (sorry dear for torturing you so), Amber, and choco-crush. You each get an imaginary cookie. **

**Epilogue**

That was a week ago.

The corridors of Hogwarts were now quiet as the last of the parents stopped by to collect their children. In some places you could still see the evidence of that fateful night.

Stones were scorched.

Blood stained some of the walls.

Charred remains were left of portraits.

School authorities would be deciding soon as to whether they wanted to reopen Hogwarts next year or leave it shut down for the safety of the children.

It seemed as if no one was going to be able to agree on the decision, though. Each had their own reasoning behind whether it should be closed or not and most didn't want to listen to other's ideas.

Arguing…

It seemed as if everyone was arguing. Their bitter words echoed in the empty castle hallways even when they were not present.

The portraits now remained silent as they drifted hazily from one frame to the next, careful to avoid those that burned, not really paying much attention to their surroundings.

One portrait, though, remained standing in his frame, his hands folded neatly behind him as he surveyed the only person present in the school at that moment save the ghosts and the portraits.

The girl was seventeen with bushy brown hair and seemingly ordinary brown eyes. The robe wrapped around her disguised the alluring figure beneath.

Her head was bent ever so slightly as she ran her eyes along the elegant frame. She was absentmindedly twisting the only ring she wore around and around her finger in a distracted manner.

Meanwhile, the portrait just watched her.

Minutes passed. The second hand slowly ticked by as time decelerated drastically around the two of them. One second, one thought, one painful memory.

Finally, brown eyes looked up. It was evident now that they were not ordinary brown eyes. No, these were the eyes of the richest chocolate one could ever imagine. Dark, dark brown…so dark that one could drown in the murky depths.

There was ambiguity in her eyes.

Indeed, she must be wondering why she just confessed everything to a portrait, one she had just discovered. And yet, deep in her heart she knew the answer to that.

But was she ready to explore it?

She knew the portrait in some way, though the answer remained unclear to her. She felt a connection with the figure. She knew somehow that she could trust him and she did…

Oddly enough, she did.

She was alone at the moment except for this single portrait who never once judged her throughout her tale. He merely listened patiently, asking a question or making a comment every now and then.

She knew him…and he knew her.

Brown, dark brown, peered at him questionably. "It's all going to change, isn't it?"

He nodded slowly, his eyes never once leaving her. "Yes," he paused, the corner of his mouth tilting slightly, "but you already knew that."

She returned the slight smile and nodded solemnly. "Yes, I suppose I did."

She reached up and caught a lose curl, shoving it behind her ear. "Sometimes…," she hesitated, only continuing after some persuasion on his part, "sometimes when I'm alone I begin to wonder. I see flashes and I don't know what they're of."

"Time, Hermione," he acknowledged. "It will take time."

She huffed in exasperation. "But I don't have time! I need to figure this out and yet I can't. But why? What do they mean? Am I supposed to figure them out?"

He smiled slightly, perching himself on a rock in the portrait. "Patience, Hermione, is a very good virtue to develop."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

He thought about it for a moment, his hands resting lightly on his knees. "Well, you could find out all the answers right now and be content, correct?"

"Correct."

"But what if you don't understand the answers you received?" he asked, causing her to pause when she went to answer him. "Ah, you see, understanding only comes with time."

She shrugged dispassionately. "I guess so."

He stood with a sigh. "Hermione, there are some things that you are better off not knowing for the time being, especially with all that is happening at the moment."

She considered his words before slowly nodding her head. "I guess you're right."

He stared at her for a moment before slowly motioning to her. "Follow me, there is something I want to show you."

Bemused, she did as he asked, trying to keep up with him as he moved from one portrait to another. They wound their way through the deserted corridors up to the sixth floor and to a hall containing many portraits.

She paused.

"This seems oddly familiar…," she said hesitantly, "but I can't remember ever coming down this way before…"

Her words trailed off as she passed by the man and headed towards an empty portrait, her eyes lingering on the familiar scene depicted within the frame. "I know this."

The man entered the frame and smiled. "Indeed? Well, this is my portrait."

She followed the direction in which his hand pointed and read the words at the bottom.

_Known to be the first wizard recorded to accomplish the task of becoming an animagus. _

"Falco Aesalon," she muttered softly.

He smiled at her. You see, he had not informed her of his name earlier when she stumbled upon him on the second floor. Indeed, he had been rather close-lipped about his identity and instead focused on her.

"Yes, my name is Falco Aesalon and this is my portrait." He swung open and she gasped at what laid behind. A room, a glorious room decorated in the lovelies colours lied before her. If she had to decorate a room, she would have decorated it exactly like this one.

A flash…a roaring fire…a handsome man…the man from a previous image…cocoa… security…

She remembered safety and a small amount of joy…but who?

She didn't understand. With a shake of her head, she stepped further into the room and looked around, allowing the homely feeling to wrap around her like a thick cloak.

"Do you like it?"

She turned around to face a portrait that hung on the wall in which Falco now stood, gazing at her intently. She smiled at him. "I love it."

He bowed his head slightly, a small grin tugging at his lips. "Then I present it to you. Whenever you need a bit of time to escape, you are welcomed here. I will only admit you so this will be your private domain."

She couldn't believe it. Her own private spot to lose herself in her musings. "Thank you," she said graciously. "Thank you so very much."

"You're welcome," he acknowledged. He turned to cast a look around the room. "It has been many years since this room has had a person to occupy it." He paused, his eyes glazing over slightly as he was lost in his memories. "Yes, many years indeed."

A brow rose questionably. "This room belonged to someone before? But I didn't think students were allowed to have their own personal rooms…"

"They usually aren't," he interrupted, "but every now and then, an exception is made."

Hermione took a seat on the couch and stared at him expectantly. "Tell me about the previous owner…," she paused and then, on second thought, added, "please."

"What exactly do you wish to know?"

"Anything," she answered immediately. "Everything."

He smiled as he lowered his head slightly. "Very well." He rose his eyes to the ceiling as if trying to remember some lost detail. "It was about twenty years ago when a student arrived at Hogwarts, orphaned by the war."

"Dumbledore immediately ushered her to the Hospital Wing where she received proper treatment for her injuries. She shared with him her horrid tale and he placed her into the care of Minerva McGonagall who became her aunt."

"Minerva whisked the girl away to Scotland with her for a few weeks to recuperate and to rest before the start of the term. They returned here afterwards and she was given this room to reside in."

He smiled at the memory of his former charge and quickly glanced at the girl before him, amazed by what he saw. "I could see right from the start that she was haunted by her past and yet she had a strong will to live. She was very powerful."

"Who was she?" Hermione asked.

He shook his head slowly from side to side. "Names are not important, Hermione, only understanding. You see, this girl went through a horrible ordeal. In the space of a few months she lost everyone she had ever held dear- her parents, her loved ones, her friends. They were all lost to her because of the war."

A small frown creased his face. "She carried the burden with her, refusing to allow anyone to help with the weight. She wore reminders of her past and forced herself to look at them everyday."

"Wouldn't that only serve to depress her?" Hermione asked confused.

"You would think so, wouldn't you?" Falco asked with a small smile. "At first I think it did, but as time went on, it ceased to depress her. She was now filled with a determination to honour all those who had died by attempting to bring down an evil wizard."

"Voldemort," Hermione said, her eyes lowering to her hands briefly before looking back up to look at him. "But she didn't destroy him… He's still around."

Falco smiled. "There are other ways to destroy than to simply kill, Hermione."

She looked up, brown eyes clashing with the eyes of the portra

His words began to sink in and she put the pieces together, forming a giant jigsaw puzzle where all the hazy details that once alluded her began to make sense.

it. "This woman… she's the one who died for Harry that night, isn't she?"

Without missing a beat, Falco Aesalon replied, "Yes."

**A/N: thanks for sticking with me through this necessary portion. I needed to show what happened during the first six years. Whispers of Tomorrow will pick up from here and go past the war. I'm still working on it so I don't know how it's going to end yet. I guess we'll all be surprised.**

**thank you ever so much for all your lovely reviews. You guys are simply wonderful! Remember to email me directly and ask to be added to the email alert list. **

**Much love,**

**MiZZ AmAyA**


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